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I've never understood the mentality of people who snap discs or break controllers

jmood88

Member
My brother used to do that shit all the time and I didn't understand that attitude then, and I still don't now. It makes absolutely no sense to me and people who do it need to get some help dealing with frustration if they can only deal with it by lashing out and breaking things.
 

Cornbread78

Member
Wanting to break something and actually doing it are two different things.... I don't think Ive ever broken something on purpose, but there have been games (Demon Souls) and boss battles (Killzone 2 on the hardest difficulty) where I've had to sternly place my controller into the couch and walk outside for a smoke and pop open a beer......
 

SpecX

Member
Broken 3 DS4 controllers so far this generation and yes I'm ashamed of it. Emotions totally take over and a blind rage causes me to chuck the controller at the floor which has caused the triggers to fly off. I now just turn off the game before I reach that point or quit that mode that is causing me rage.
 

Inspector Q

Member
It's not foolish though, learned behaviors have a habit of creeping into other aspects of someone's life.

I am saying it is foolish to judge someone before getting to know them. These can be great people who will sometimes lose their cool and throw a box at work, for example. Breaking an inanimate object is very different from attacking a living thing.

Seriously, just get to know someone before you completely write them off as psychopaths. Hell, everyone who has these angry, controller breaking outbursts admits that it is not an intelligent response or are regretful immediately afterwards. That doesn't mean they should be ridiculed as children. That is going too far, in my opinion.
 

Venom Fox

Banned
No, you weren't just talking about what is normal and what isn't. You were claiming that anger issues are not a thing (an excuse) and those people just can't distinguish between what's real or not. It did come across as rather judgmental.

Getting angry at different things than others is normal. To get so angry that you break stuff etc. isn't, I would never deny that. That's why it's called anger issues after all.
I didn't make myself clear. Smashing things, snapping things, punching walls, biting things. Tell me again how that's normal behaviour? Especially for an adult man or woman? It is 100% an excuse in my eyes to smash your stuff and claim "anger issues".

Let's get real honest about what I think the problem is. Some others have said it so I don't see why I can't. You just got beat at Fifa so you smash your controller. The excuse is anger issues. No. Just No. You got beat and your brain couldn't comprehend that you lost. You smash your stuff because someone else beat you. You smash your stuff because you want to feel some sort of control and get your pride back. Who here is going to admit that? Probably nobody because of the embarrassment they got bested by an anonymous person who was better at Fifa and smashed their controller like a child who doesn't get their own way.

In these threads 99% of the time the excuse is anger issues.

The fact that they're posting in here with their tales of biting controllers, punching walls through and walking up to consoles to eject the disc and snap it up, speaks volumes about who they are as a person and what state of mind they are in. They are posting in here because they want people to be impressed by their show of strength.

If you were at a raffle and the top prize was a 20th anniversary PS4 that you really, really wanted to win but lost to the guy next to you, would you throw your phone at the nearest wall? Would you walk up to it and smash a big hole in it? Would you walk up to the PS4 and smash it with your bare hands like some Terminator? No, because you'd be arrested for criminal damage. You'd have that fear of being made a fool of in front of people and carted off in a police vehicle. You wouldn't react like that in public so why at home? Because you want to prove to yourself that your this "big" man and nobody gets the better of you, you do it at home because there is no repercussion except buying a new controller, wall plaster or disc.

It's not normal. Simple really.
 

NahaNago

Member
If you are literally breaking controllers and snapping discs on a regular basis, you are probably the sort of person for whom violence is an immediate response to frustration. That makes you dangerous, and I would not want to know you personally.

Yeah sorry but you and Nostremitus suggesting that because someone snaps discs when they get frustrated will lead to someone shaking their baby or slapping their spouse is a bit ridiculous and over the top. Oh yeah and just to clear things up i have never broken a controller or snapped a disc in frustration/anger.
 

void666

Banned
I've seen threads like this before. It's always the same. People bragging about how they are so mature and don't do things like this anymore because they are adults.

Oh well...Let's see. I broke my first psx. I got mad and punched it hard. Later when i calmed down and tried to turn it on i noticed i had smashed the laser thing.
Broke a few keyboards playing CoD.
Shattered a phone screen when i threw it hard at the wall.
What else? Punched the wall and cursed, screamed a lot in many occasions.

I have some serious anger management issues. And i usually feel like shit after the anger subsides.
Last time it happened was during the last iron banner (destiny). Anger soon turned into sadness. Since then i've been trying my best to keep calm whenever i play pvp.

My problerm is that my anger goes from 0 to 1000 in a heartbeat. I can't, you know, count to 10 and calm down.
 

Kaisos

Member
I am saying it is foolish to judge someone before getting to know them. These can be great people who will sometimes lose their cool and throw a box at work, for example.

At every place I've worked this would get you fired. Is this like an American thing? Is it normal to have public temper tantrums in America?
 
I do think that the armchair psych evals are cute, though. These threads are always entertaining because here on the internet, it's easier to pretend to be more of an authority on things than you actually are.

I think that masquerading as an expert when one is not is a sign of extreme delusion, though. Trust me! I'm a message board expert on the internet!
 

OmegaFax

Member
I've never got mad enough at a game to throw a controller. I'll quit the game, turn off the system, and take a small break.
 

CyberChulo

Member
I remember having my friend over so I could watch him drill holes into my Sega Master System. Obviously this was when I was a kid and we had access to power drills AND I was not using that system anymore.
 

Inspector Q

Member
If you are literally breaking controllers and snapping discs on a regular basis, you are probably the sort of person for whom violence is an immediate response to frustration. That makes you dangerous, and I would not want to know you personally.

But you would want to know me because we would get along fine. Or at least, I would hope so. I don't ever treat anyone wrong and try to be as helpful as I can, for the most part. Plus, I know a lot about games and can have an hour long discussion about the intricacies of whatever game you want to talk about.

Just because I might throw my controller (pretty rare, by the way) if I lose at an online pvp game doesn't mean I am a bad person. That is what I am trying to get at. Just get to know people before dismissing them as crazy. My own mother and Aunt have broken things in the past due to stressful situations in life. That doesn't make them psychopaths or freaks that don't deserve respect.
 
It seems really stupid to me. I get getting angry at a game but breaking something you have to replace is just going to make you more pissed off. Or it would for me.
 
The only game I've destroyed was Grandia 1's second disk because it was scratched beyond to death(my parents bought a used copy), which made it freeze during a cutscene in the later part of the game.

I was 9-10~ years old and was so fucking angry that I couldn't finish the game after putting in countless of hours. I vividly remember grabbing a hammer from my dad's red toolbox, smashing the game in pieces, then burying it in my backyard while my twin brother is laughing his ass off.
 

Venom Fox

Banned
I do think that the armchair psych evals are cute, though. These threads are always entertaining because here on the internet, it's easier to pretend to be more of an authority on things than you actually are.

I think that masquerading as an expert when one is not is a sign of extreme delusion, though. Trust me! I'm a message board expert on the internet!

The armchair psychologists up in here. Sweet jesus.
Stating the obvious (that biting, punching, throwing and snapping your possessions) and giving your personal opinions on the matter isn't armchair psychology. It's a discussion board where you give your opinions and that's what I'm doing.
 

Inspector Q

Member
At every place I've worked this would get you fired. Is this like an American thing? Is it normal to have public temper tantrums in America?

It's actually a billion dollar company, but I work in the warehouse....not the most pleasant place to work, as you can imagine, lol. But things happen there and people get really stressed out. It's physical, but every day is like a race to the finish line. It can get nuts with what the company expects out of some of these people.

Like they expect the same from a 5'0'' tall, 55 year old woman as they would from a 6'5'' 20 year old kid. Naturally, it gets a bit crazy sometimes and people just lose their shit.
 
Never did it, never understood it.

I'd never do it now because I understand how much I spent on those things, I never did it as a kid because I understood how much my parents had spent on those things.

It's just distructful and it's a case of someone taking games far, far too seriously and being unable to vent their frustrations in a sensible manner.
 

Escargo

Member
It's a flash of immaturity. I never let video games anger me to an extent. Whenever I get frustrated, I sit back and try to think of it like a puzzle and see where I went wrong. If something was just utter bullshit then I keep trying until I'm not enjoying myself anymore. When that happens, I stop playing.

My cousin use to throw controllers when he was young and dumb. Instantly made the party game less enjoyable and casual. I've been conditioned to let people who do this win the game but still pretend that I was trying.
 
It is my opinion that if you get angry at playing videogames to the point where you destroy, damage personal property - or worse - things that aren't yours, then you have issues that need to be worked on. And this is coming from someone who has a hot temperament.

I can even understand throwing something like a pillow against a wall, or screaming. But there is a difference between physically displaying that aggression towards something that will result in no damage to things, and doing substantial damage to things that will cost you money to replace, fix.

Get help people.
 

Venom Fox

Banned
It's actually a billion dollar company, but I work in the warehouse....not the most pleasant place to work, as you can imagine, lol. But things happen there and people get really stressed out. It's physical, but every day is like a race to the finish line. It can get nuts with what the company expects out of some of these people.

Like they expect the same from a 5'0'' tall, 55 year old woman as they would from a 6'5'' 20 year old kid. Naturally, it gets a bit crazy sometimes and people just lose their shit.
I work in CEX, I run around like a headless chicken all day, sorting the shop out, help people, serve disgustingly smelly customers, crack heads etc who argue and threaten to stab you if you don't give them £5 for a battered, shit phone that needs placing in a fire rather than being bought. If I threw a box out of anger I'd be sacked. Simple. I deal with my problems in a different way, like a normal person would do by telling them they're banned, call security and get on with it. I don't throw things to prove myself.

If I threw a box across the store, head office would see that as not normal. It's not hard to control yourself.
 

NahaNago

Member
It is my opinion that if you get angry at playing videogames to the point where you destroy, damage personal property - or worse - things that aren't yours, then you have issues that need to be worked on. And this is coming from someone who has a hot temperament.

I can even understand throwing something like a pillow against a wall, or screaming. But there is a difference between physically displaying that aggression towards something that will result in no damage to things, and doing substantial damage to things that will cost you money to replace, fix.

Get help people.

So its okay to throw the pillow or to yell but if you throw your controller its time to see a psychologist.
 

Lylo

Member
You know what else isn't normal? Getting angry enough at video games to break things.

I would literally be scared to be in the same room as somebody like that.


Isn't that the point of discussion here? I have some serious problem of getting angry at malfunctioning electronics, i know that it isn't "normal" and maybe some therapy may help, but you can't simply say i'm stupid or immature because you don't understand it.


Just to make clear, i'm 32 years old, married and never hit a person in my entire life, i'm a really peaceful person.
 

theWB27

Member
If you are literally breaking controllers and snapping discs on a regular basis, you are probably the sort of person for whom violence is an immediate response to frustration. That makes you dangerous, and I would not want to know you personally.

You may not be violent. You surely are judgemental.

Shitty temper growing up. Never once led me to being an actual violent person. Haven't been in any fights in over 20 years and not once beat my significant other. Not even raised my voice at my current gf of a year. She's seen me get agitated at games though.
 

Venom Fox

Banned
Those with glass houses....
But the people criticising others aren't doing it themselves so the phrase doesn't hold true in here.

You may not be violent. You surely are judgemental.

Shitty temper growing up. Never once led me to being an actual violent person. Haven't been in any fights in over 20 years and not once beat my significant other. Not even raised my voice at my current gf of a year. She's seen me get agitated at games though.
Why is everyone claiming the people who don't smash things are being judgmental? Don't just try and claim someone is being unfair because there's no valid response to what was said.
 

Inspector Q

Member
I work in CEX, I run around like a headless chicken all day, sorting the shop out, help people, serve disgustingly smelly customers, crack heads etc who argue and threaten to stab you if you don't give them £5 for a battered, shit phone that needs placing in a fire rather than being bought. If I threw a box out of anger I'd be sacked. Simple. I deal with my problems in a different way, like a normal person would do by telling them they're banned, call security and get on with it. I don't throw things to prove myself.

I am not even going to get into what has happened at my job. Some of the stories are disturbing. But the point I am trying to get at is that good people can become irrational for short moments of stress. That doesn't make them bad people or children.

These are good people that I personally know. So you have never known a person that you respect that has thrown something in frustration? I am finding that hard to believe, but whatever.
 

Tarahiro

Member
Tbh I would love to be in a situation where I could break games or controllers because it would also mean I had enough money to replace them.

I get angry at games but I generally just quit out or swear at it. I've dropped my controller a few times but that's just clumsiness (and luckily it didn't break).

I try and be as careful as I can with my gaming equipment because I don't get much money so it would take a long time to replace anything I break.
 
Stating the obvious (that biting, punching, throwing and snapping your possessions) and giving your personal opinions on the matter isn't armchair psychology. It's a discussion board where you give your opinions and that's what I'm doing.

Sure, that is fine. But not all opinions are equal. If you had some research that tied breaking things to a definitively higher preponderance of violence toward people, sure, your opinion is worthwhile.

But with no evidence or credentials you are just another armchair psych with a worthless opinion on this specific matter. I mean, go for it! Evaluate people as psychopathic on the basis of an internet conversation. But be prepared to be pushed back upon when you do.
 
I threw a controller once in my life when I was a teen and just couldn't beat a boss. I immediately felt very foolish.
Luckily I have no upper body strength, so nothing was broken.
 
I used to get mad and throw controllers.

And by that I mean toss them gently onto the bed and stop playing. I can't afford to bean a pad into a wall.
 
I really hope that people playing sports get counselling after breaking a bat or golf club or whatever. They're walking down a dangerous road. :(
 

Lord Phol

Member
People who respond to anger-inducing situations with violence are the sort of people that beat their spouses and kids. Just because you can respect them professionally doesn't mean they're respectable as human beings.

Getting angry is normal, but being violent is not. It's not acceptable adult behaviour. Why is that hard to understand?

This is both wrong and very narrow-minded. Anger and violence are some of the most basic of human behaviours. Specifically so in men and much less so in women. It's simple biology, but apparently not common knowledge. There's a reason humans are such a war-mongering and violent species and why the vast majority of all wars and violence related crimes are done by men. Wether you want to believe it or not it's more normal than abnormal. It is also something that most societies are trying to evolve past, but that's going to take a while.

I usually never get into an argument on Gaf but the amount of close-mindness and misinformed people in this thread is just staggering.
 

Lemonte

Member
I understand throwing a controller or hitting a keyboard but snapping a disc in half takes more than a second so you have time to realize that's a stupid thing to do so you better calm down.

I have never destroyed anything because of a game but I have punched wall couple of times so that my fist was sore few days.
 

theBmZ

Member
You try playing Run to the Hills on a stock Rock Band 1 drumkit. lol. I didn't break them, but they got thrown around alot. Until the "sock mod" was discovered that is. lol.
 
Its the same exact thing. Your still lashing out in frustration or anger its just something got destroyed in the process

Sure, at a different level. And I have a threshold for tolerating that as I explained. In the past when I was much younger I can count the number of times I got angry, in one hand, at a game, and slightly threw my controller on the sofa. More like dropped to be honest. As the poster above said, my family wasn't rich, so I've always known the value of things, and taken extremely good care of my things.

I have had friends, and watched relatives, who audibly expressed their frustration by cursing, grunting, and doing the same thing I did with the controller.

The difference is that I've seen people grab their keyboards and smash it against a wall. Throw their controllers so hard that they have made wholes in walls or put others in danger. That to me is a whole different level of aggression. Whether you agree with this or not, that's how I feel about the matter. Furthermore, I don't tolerate that level of aggression and we probably won't be friends, or speak for long if that is how you behave.
 

Walpurgis

Banned
I didn't know people actually did this. All this time, I thought it was a joke. I do occasionally rage quit but actually break stuff that I use? Why? Even when I was a kid I knew that my PS2 was sacred.
 
I snapped a disc because the game was too awful. Luckily it was Death by Degrees starring Nina Williams which cost less than 3 dollars and not a 60$ game.
 

Venom Fox

Banned
This is both wrong and very narrow-minded. Anger and violence are some of the most basic of human behaviours. Specifically so in men and much less so in women. It's simple biology, but apparently not common knowledge. There's a reason humans are such a war-mongering and violent species and why the vast majority of all wars and violence related crimes are done by men. Wether you want to believe it or not it's more normal than abnormal. It is also something that most societies are trying to evolve past, but that's going to take a while.

I usually never get into an argument on Gaf but the amount of close-mindness and misinformed people in this thread is just staggering.
So not accepting others opinions that this isn't normal behaviour is being close minded but accepting opinions that it is normal isn't?
Sure, that is fine. But not all opinions are equal. If you had some research that tied breaking things to a definitively higher preponderance of violence toward people, sure, your opinion is worthwhile.

But with no evidence or credentials you are just another armchair psych with a worthless opinion on this specific matter. I mean, go for it! Evaluate people as psychopathic on the basis of an internet conversation. But be prepared to be pushed back upon when you do.
I never claimed that? What or who is your post referring to? Clearly not me. I never claimed the people who throw things etc would be violent towards other humans. It is psychotic behaviour though.
 

NahaNago

Member
Sure, at a different level. And I have a threshold for tolerating that as I explained. In the past when I was much younger I can count the number of times I got angry, in one hand, at a game, and slightly threw my controller on the sofa. More like dropped to be honest. As the poster above said, my family wasn't rich, so I've always known the value of things, and taken extremely good care of my things.

I have had friends, and watched relatives, who audibly expressed their frustration by cursing, grunting, and doing the same thing I did with the controller.

The difference is that I've seen people grab their keyboards and smash it against a wall. Throw their controllers so hard that they have made wholes in walls or put others in danger. That to me is a whole different level of aggression. Whether you agree with this or not, that's how I feel about the matter. Furthermore, I don't tolerate that level of aggression and we probably won't be friends, or speak for long if that is how you behave.

It felt like i was oversharing and misremembering at the same time. I personally despise when folks yell or cuss in anger more than the breaking of things. Someone throwing something and it breaks or you breaking your keyboard is amusing to me since you now have to buy a replacement
 
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