by JR Cook - 7 years ago     show comments

I love Heroes of the Storm, but let’s be honest; it can be a frustrating game at times. Whether it is the ups and downs of the Hero League grind, the team that just won’t cooperate, or that toxic guy who has died ten times but still wants to complain about how bad everyone else is, there are times when this game can really try your patience.

Blizzard has taken steps to increase the positive reinforcement and fun factor of the game by adding features like the MVP system and Heroes Brawl, but it isn’t just the game designer’s responsibility to ensure that a game is enjoyable to play. It is also on us as players to find a way to make the game fun for both ourselves and our fellow players. That is where the wisdom of Haley Joel Osment* comes in.

While there are times that the game itself is the source of the frustration, more often than not if someone has a bad experience it is in some way caused by another player. This is just the nature of multiplayer games. When things go well and your team dominates the opposition there is often very little chat aside from the post game GG’s. When things go poorly the critics come out of the woodwork and chat quickly becomes filled with finger pointing and name calling. Sure, you can mute or report these people, but that doesn’t change the fact that negative communication is much more common than positive communication. Hence the need to pay it forward.

Take the time to say something nice to someone. This could be during the game or it could be afterwards. If someone lands a sweet Ancestral Heal, give them a shout out in chat. Send that Abathur a whisper after the game and let him know that while you may have lost his XP soak was the only thing that even kept the game close. Heck, you can even send your opponent a whisper and compliment them for that killer four man Mosh they landed in the final team fight. You know when you have made a clutch play, but it still feels nice to have someone recognize it. The same logic applies to finger pointing. You may know that everything isn’t your fault and that the guy blaming you is just being a jerk, but it is still nice to hear someone else say it as well.

It shouldn’t be hard to find something nice to say after each game. The trick is to actually do it. Not only will this make the game a more enjoyable experience for everyone, but you might just make a new friend or two along the way. Thanks for reading this article, you guys are the best!

*As I was writing this I realized that this was the second article I have written based on a Haley Joel Osment movie. The first one was entitled I See Dead People. I guess it is time to start scouring Mr. Osment’s IMDB for more article ideas…