Toxicity VS Frustration
What is Toxicity to you? Is it someone who constantly types in all chat "x 9 Y summoner" or "gg this X". Or maybe someone who after a 30 minute game is ready to throw in the towel and AFKs and starts bashing their team. Either or, it's really easy to see these people are just taking out their frustration on you or are deflecting blame from themselves and are thus being rude and ruining your game experience. Anyone can see they're toxic.
What is frustration on the other hand? It's easy to see when someone is frustrated if they're constantly trying and failing to do something in the game i.e. go for a kill, take a tower, or pick fights out of position. These players aren't toxic, but they aren't exactly helping you out either. However unlike the former group, they are far from your enemy. It's not your job to get them to calm down and get a hold of themselves, but it is your job to reassure these people that they are your ALLIES. Don't turn someone who's frustrated into someone who's toxic. It's really fucking easy to just put one missing ping over their head or add one snide remake into chat and get a reaction out of someone who's frustrated. DON'T FUCKING DO IT. You know who you are. Unless you're of the former group, and you WANT to piss them off and are yourself toxic. In which case I can't stop you in the first place. But if you find yourself in a situation, and you will because it happens in almost every game I play, where someone is clearly frustrated with either themselves, their allies or something else and they aren't doing well. Just tell them that teamwork is how you'll win, and they should just try to get back into the game. You don't owe it to them to listen to their life story, but just reassure them that it isn't a 1v9 game, otherwise it's a 6v4 for you. And if you're the stubborn type who refuses and the game was 1v9 for you already, then just don't say anything seriously, you don't need to throw your ego around because you're upset with someone else in the game. This is doubly true if you're the one who's frustrated. Being frustrated isn't a free pass to take your aggression out on anyone else in the game.
ON A LAST, BUT VERY IMPORTANT NOTE. And if you take away nothing else but this, please do so. KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO. SOMEONE WHO IS FRUSTRATED ISNT NECESSARILY TOXIC. If someone is voicing their FRUSTRATION, that doesn't mean they're toxic. It's that simple. Don't get a witch hunt going just because they're upset. IT doesn't help.
