Navigating the world of online video games cleanly is getting harder and harder to do.

Trolls are in plentiful supply across many online games today, harassing players and diluting their respective communities. As the industry booms due to the pandemic, many of the people bored and marooned at home are turning to video games in greater volumes than ever before. Of course, bored, and stuck people often behave the worst over the internet…

Chances are you are encountering a few bad apples out there in the gaming world. Many people report the players through the in-game customer service options, but seldom is any action put into effect. Bans are typically reserved for rare gaming instances, so what else can you do?

Keep reading for a few ideas in countering any troll you come across out in the online gaming wilderness.

online gaming

Chill Out First

Revenge is best served cold, not hot.

After all, it is important not to take things too far here. There is absolutely a ceiling that you should not surpass, so if the bothersome players are really getting under your skin, take a minute, meditate, and cool off before enacting your revenge.

If you are well-versed in the video game community, you likely know instances where gamers have committed crimes in the name of getting even. One such technique is swatting, whereby users call 911 and send them to the home of the person they do not like as a ‘prank’. It is not funny, nor is it cool. Do not do this.

Calming down first might seem like a filler point, but it is essential in going about things the right way. Revenge is not about intense emotions, but rather about a sense of karma instead. Your reaction needs to be a restoration in the natural order of things, and not a prolongment of a bitter, meaningless feud. When they see you are unphased and above name calling and bluster, it will infuriate them. Keep the crucial tenant of remaining calm in mind before proceeding, and you are halfway to victory already.

Stake Out Their Spawn Points

If you are playing a game where death means respawning at a certain location, the best thing you can do to get back at your troll is to stake it out.

The moment they materialize, end their miserable in-game life. When they pop back up, pull the trigger, or swing the sword, again. Keep going until they either apologize or abandon the folly in trolling you. They will get tired of this long before you do.

This way, the game becomes borderline unplayable for them. It might seem at first like you are trying to bully them out of the game, but if that is what it takes to keep online games a troll-free zone, then it is a necessary means to an end. Remember, the real victory is not in killing them in-game: it is making their bad behavior seem futile and consequential.

online gaming

Rally Your Friends

The best part about online games is that you need not play alone…

If you are playing with friends, clue them in on the action. Tip them off about who the troll is, how they are behaving, and together hunt them down (in the game) in the name of justice. You can form a posse in Red Dead Online and hunt them across the wild west relentlessly, or form a party in Call of Duty, and let all your teamworking do all the talking.

Bullies are often lone wolves because they have no friends. The moment they pick a target who is of a superior social standing is the moment they realize their sad little lives for what they truly are. Gang up on them and remind them of this reality with your gameplay. Refrain from name-calling: when they see your clan arrive, they will acknowledge their inner emptiness as they are repeatedly butchered in the game.

If You Can’t Beat Them…

Online video games can be a lawless land, and if the troll in question is using tools beyond the natural gameplay mechanics, there is only one thing you can do to get even…

Visit iwantcheats.net for all the latest hacks and codes that will elevate your play and give you a fighting chance against other cheaters or hackers. Sometimes, you do need to fight fire with fire, and with IWantCheats you will not be discovered or banned from your favorite games for cutting a few corners. Ultimately, a plumber needs a plunger to unblock a toilet, and a gamer needs cheats to put trolls in their place.

Cheats are fine as a bit of gentle ribbing and fun. When it crosses a line is when they are used for borderline abusive or harassment purposes. If a player is constantly hounding you with these shenanigans up their sleeves, it may be time for you to take them down via similar methods. Do not see it as stooping to their level. Instead, view it as levelling the playing field…