Being a Better Teammate

Please do not dismiss this title so quickly, even if you know what you are supposed to do when playing on a team. I know very well how to be a nice player in the game, but of course that does not always happen. I have had some “toxic” experiences in CS:GO and real life, would you believe it, so I decided to just bring up a few helpful tips.

Not everyone has an awesome gaming computer like you, and to those of you getting harassed by such people, try to understand where they are coming from too. First, not everyone can afford a great computer. Gaming can be a high priority, but they simply do not have the money to purchase a new and better computer. Maybe, they are new to gaming and want to see if they like it before investing more than a thousand dollars on it. Also, high speed internet may not be in their area, or they are too far from the servers to get decent ping. It’s not their fault that Comcast has problems and that Valve is too stingy to get more servers. I was just in a situation yesterday when my team wanted to kick a guy whose internet went on the fritz. What can this guy do about it? Yelling at him, which will probably get scrambled, will only make him more uncomfortable and angry. Do you really want to make a person feel that way? You guys with potatoes for PCs, please understand that some people take gaming very seriously. Some people will take vacation days to play games and go into money intended for vacations to spend on gaming. This is a big deal for these people. We understand that you want to play like the rest of us, but if you are really interested in playing this game, please upgrade if you are able. If that’s out of reach, then maybe you could work on being a really good player despite the lag, or you could be just a nice/smart person who has something other than fragging to offer. Did you know GuardiaN, the best AWPer in the world, used to play on a computer that could get only 40 fps? Gaming is around to blow off some steam, so let’s not harass people about buying into something they know they cannot. Maybe, if you are so fortunate to have great wealth, you could help them buy a computer. Motar2k, some kind of Saudi oil baron or something, has given tens of thousands of dollars to pro players?

Here is where people get really angry, skill. Not everyone plays like a pro, and not every pro plays like olofmeister. Cloud 9 are a good team, right? They want to win as much as you, the rager, right? How can they have multiple top placings if they have a person on their team who only gets 4 frags a game, and how can they play with such a person? Well, seangares offers other things that kills, like tactics and counsel. Maybe, the guy you are playing with is not as adept at those aspects of teamplay, but he isn’t Global, so how can you expect him to? All that you have to do is to remember that people are people; they each have something to offer. Maybe, you can do something to elicit that.

By being a non-toxic, clean, respectful, kind player, you can do a lot to minimize problems that occur in a team. There are other people, so you can’t fix all problems by just being nicer. Handling toxic people is the toughest part of being on a team I feel. They always find some reason to complain about you and your game. They may play music, make noises, yell in the mic, pick fights, and just say rude things. You have to find a way to deal with these people if you want to win games with such people on your team. Apologizing for your mistakes can do something, but chances are that the person being an asshole from the beginning. Contesting this guy’s power will work, but be sure not to bring it into a shouting match. Don’t bring it down to name-calling either. Try to be reasonable and kind to him, even if you are putting him in his place. Try to work something out with the guy. Being a team is about making compromises to facilitate your collective skill. Atleast try to understand the team and make compromises, like playing certain positions.

The last thing that I would like you to remember is that not everyone is doing their best. You can try to help them out, and believe me, bringing out the best in a teammate will be greatly appreciated. Giving them little tips, encouraging them, or getting people to communicate can make a team that is losing 6-0 to comeback and win 16-6. Yesterday, we were having trouble communicating. A teammate was getting annoyed about it and brought it up; he did nothing. Everyone was feeling grumpy, since we weren’t winning rounds. What I did was sit everyone in spawn, waited for everyone to listen, and then planned a strat that we all executed. Needless to say, we won the next few rounds. Odds are that the opponent is not communicating particularly well, just luck that they are winning. Taking charge of a weak team can make everything change.

Being a thoughtful player can win games. You could have no limbs but win a game because you outsmart the guy every round. We go from being the savage, a ruthless player that doesn’t give any fucks; to a cooperative player, someone who minimizes problems in a team and doesn’t start fights; to a leader, someone who stops fights and brings out the best in his players. You don’t have to bend over backwards to do these things, and if you want to be a winner, not someone who bows to the chance that they will be less coordinated than you, then you should be willing to do these things.

Thanks for reading, and I hope to see at least one more mindful player in matchmaking.