"Name-Calling": When it becomes a problem [Please Read]

Note: I am the same person who wrote ["Kill Yourself": The Phrase and the Harm It Does], as well as The Use of "Downs" and "Autism". If you want to find those posts, you can find them Here, and Here. I took a hiatus from video games in order to get my thoughts straight and try to figure some things out in my personal life, and now I'm back and ready to continue my series. My series is to raise awareness about online bullying, not cause arguments and whatnot. I don't take any offense to hateful comments left on my posts, so the only reason you would post them here anymore would be to gain attention.

Online Bullying Series: Post 3 "Name Calling" I never really understood name calling online, however I do know that some people do get hurt when it happens. And I think its safe to say that a little bit of good-natured name calling within a group of friends is somewhat healthy, however when feelings start to get hurt, it becomes a problem. It's also a problem when names are called with the intent of hurting others. So why do we, as gamers, do this? Why do we hurt others feelings in the simplest way we can, which is with our words? A good number of online name-callers do what they do because of his or her own insecurities. If they are playing poorly, they are more likely to start over-criticizing other players and it can lead to name calling-which, believe it or not, is still a form of verbal abuse, but I'm sure you've read that a million times. Another reason that name-calling is so prominent online is due largely in part that whoever is typing is hiding behind a screen. People believe that they can say whatever they want, then never see that other person in queue ever again-which in most cases is sadly the truth. Nobody is ever going to remember your username, or be able to match it with your face, but that doesn't mean that it does the community any good. And just because the antagonizer moves on, doesn't always mean that the victim does. Now, I'm not saying that every person who gets called a name during an online game is going to take it to heart. But to ensure that those, who do take name-calling as a personal offense, don't get hurt, I wish I could ask everyone to just stop resorting to name-calling in game. But I can't ask that because I know that that's an unrealistic thing to ask of gamers in today's world. And not only gamers-everyone-should stop resorting to name-calling. Remember when you were five or six and someone called you a name? That's what we all think about when we see name-calling. We tend to think, "Oh, wow, what an immature player. They're calling names." But then we turn around and do it to others in our next match. This is because when we are bystanders to online bullying, we see it differently than when we are frustrated and in the heat of the moment. My next post is going to be about the bystander role and how people deal with online bullying when they aren't directly involved, so I won't really elaborate on that now. The main point with online name-calling that I want to make is this: It doesn't solve anything. If anything, calling others names will only disgruntle and discourage the whole team. I know that people will always name-call, but when it is this big of an issue in today's online gaming communities, I can't help but bring it up. When someone is name-calling, be supportive of the victim, even if they are playing poorly. The worst thing you can do is join in, which is never the right way to go. Not everyone takes name-calling to heart, but there are the few that do. And I want to raise awareness about that. I know I can't do much, but I can write, and try to get people to realize how they come off and how they might hurt others; and you know what they say. The pen is mightier than the sword.