Does anyone EVER think "this guy is having a bad game" instead of "this guy sucks"?

darkdill·1/10/2017, 1:37:19 AM·48 votes·2,936 views

Sometimes it feels like no one ever believes the whole "I'm having a bad game" reason, and are intrinsically required to assume the worst of all other random players. If they're underperforming because of a bad matchup, lag, or perhaps just messing up a combo or two that leads to snowballing, you can't even say "having a bad day?". Nonono, they HAVE to be "trash".

Probably people just find it easier when they can say "this guy's cancer" rather than "this guy's having bad luck".

53 Comments

TrulyBland1/10/2017, 3:54:39 AM22 votes

It's a common bias... Everybody does this all the time. Somebody forgets to use their turning signals? They're a horrible driver. Somebody yells at their children? Horrible parent. Humans instinctively look for patterns, but there are a lot of cases where we have practically no information about another person, because we can only "observe" their behaviour for a very limited amount of time. In those cases our system of looking for patterns makes us extrapolate the tiny information we have, and the behaviour we saw somebody exhibit once, in our mind, becomes something they do all the time.

And suddenly 50% of the players you meet are bad players, rather than 100% of the players you meet playing subpar 50% of the time.

ImTheSideKick1/10/2017, 2:20:54 AM19 votes

OR god forbid, his enemy lanner is better....

I don't know how many times (this works BOTH ways) I was either owned or owning the other due to a skill difference

ive stuck up for enemies before "omg this top so bad please report" "naw he is doing great keeping up in farm and almost killed me a few times" and so on

Sckullzz1/10/2017, 10:23:28 PM4 votes

It's really unfortunate how often this happens, especially when you're the odd one out in a 4-premade...

TS Media1/10/2017, 3:21:54 AM4 votes

It depends. People always wanna play the, "I'm just having a bad game" card. When it comes down to late game and you're still under performing, I can't say you're just having a bad game anymore. If you still have 0 uses late game, when everyone is full build, then you're useless. I start up games going 0/4 etc quite often due to my reckless play style, but I excel during mid and late game and eventually start evening out MAJORITY of my games. If you're continually 0-3 or 04 no assists and then you continue to be a liability to your team throughout the entire game, is it not safe to say that player is bad?

Maybe not. But I'd definitely be close to it. Normally, I give my junglers more shit than anything, though. Especially with how I play, when my junglers can't take advantage of me rolf stomping my laner, but needing some help just to dive and deny them some more when I'm freezing lane in FRONT of my tower, it kinda ticks me off.

Breaku1/10/2017, 5:55:40 PM3 votes

That's my general opinion of my team when they're preforming poorly.

And if someone on my team flames another, I'll be sure to correct the phrasing. I've had a few bad games recently, and having a team member mention that it's a bad game helps take me off tilt hahaha.

DrCyanide1/10/2017, 4:58:12 PM3 votes

The people who believe they're just having a bad game don't say anything about it in chat. What would you even say? "Yeah, you really are having a bad game!"? They need to hit some point where they can start to turn it around on their own. The best you can do is complement them when something goes right/better ("Yeah, we lost that teamfight, but it was closer this time").

Yormaughm1/11/2017, 12:16:18 AM2 votes

I don't know if you know this but this is how the world works:

Everything good that ever happens to [SELF] is 100% due to [SELF'S] efforts and [SELF'S] efforts alone.

Everything bad that ever happens to [SELF] is 100% due to [OTHER'S] willful incompetence.

Causality, consequences, and the concept of responsibility do not exist with regard to [SELF] only with regard to [OTHER.]

Replace [SELF] with yourself, and [OTHER] with whoever/whatever you feel like blaming right now.

This is the immutable law of the universe. The world revolves around [SELF] and [OTHER] only exists to ruin everything.

Vengeful Newb1/10/2017, 3:14:07 AM2 votes

sometimes, it really depends, some players make mistakes that you have to be a truly bad player to make. Others make mistakes that makes me think "oh I bet he is just texting with his GF" or something like that.

Zialeska1/10/2017, 4:40:11 PM2 votes

Usually I will stick up for someone who says they are having a bad game.

Its easy to tell if someone is having a bad game or straight up intentionally feeding but sadly not enough people have any kind of empathy so no most people do not think that :/

woodvsmurph1/10/2017, 12:21:23 PM2 votes

Yes. I've played multiple seasons and if I pay decent attention to a player's decision-making and positioning I can make a reasonable call as to if they are inting or having a bad game. Ex: the adc who has 5 deaths but positions correctly and knows when to engage/chase to follow up her/his team's engage was having a bad game. The adc who has 5 deaths and is sitting on the frontline vs a fed enemy vi and nautilus in range of all their cc when we are about to 5v5 is inting. That or they are boosted -- which is equally bad. So really, it comes down to decision-making and positioning. Do you adjust your play to STOP the feeding, or do you repeat the same bone-headed easily-corrected "mistake" 8 times in a row despite your teammate(s) telling you (politely the first 3 times -- then getting more rude about it) how to easily correct your "mistake" so you don't feed more. Like an 0/3/0 twitch shoving in a 2/0/1 draven to his tower 2v2 -- you are just inviting them to kill you again -- and their jungler to join in on the snowball. Miss a few cs, farm under your tower and catch back up in levels and items; then try your luck 2v2 again if you want. Don't turn that 2/0/1 draven into a 10/1/4 draven in laning phase and ruin any chance your 4/2/6 mid and 3/0/4 top had of carrying your team to a win. If you just have the patience, they will get you fed in teamfights. If you don't, you just make it so they can't carry and you are even further behind. So yeah, there's a clear difference very often between boosted or inting and "bad game".

EpicPizzaMaster1/10/2017, 5:12:52 PM1 votes

I try to stay reasonable most of the time. So when someone feeds I try to think that they're having a bad game or they're tilted or something. HOWEVER sometimes there are flamers who are just annoying as shit so i can't help but think "jeez this guy is trash!"

SmileInABox1/10/2017, 5:35:56 PM1 votes

I think people are just having a bad game if they get crapped on early, but actually play smart and try to come back. I think they're garbage if they die to the same mistake over and over again or just continually fuck up on a mechanical level. If people can't recognize that they're in a losing lane matchup and that they need to play safe though, they're garbage at that role/champ (every bronze Gangplank I've played with.)

PlanetWarwick1/10/2017, 6:47:52 PM1 votes

I do if it's a duo partner

YerroFever1/10/2017, 7:20:06 PM1 votes

I check player history and ranks post game to see if a guy was intentionally feeding vs having a bad game vs just being bad.

Jet Sett1/10/2017, 7:51:16 PM1 votes

Until I see the player do something terrible on their own I always assume it's bad luck.

laner losing hard to a counter? Sucks FOR him, but he doesn't suck.

laner losing a lane they counter? He must not have the best experience, or maybe his opponent is outplaying him.

laner stays in lane with 25 health against a champ like Ziggs Azir Caitlyn Gnar TwistedFate (Anyone with poke?) Yeah that was a stupid move.

Watches me die when they could clearly help? Just gonna ignore them.

Honestly the only thing anyone does that makes me think their bad is making an obvious mistake over and over, and not just one but others too, like not grouping when the team needs you, or failing (repeatedly) to follow up. Everyone fucks up sometimes, bad players fuck up all the time.

AninLegions7771/10/2017, 8:47:21 PM1 votes

This won't be a problem if those playing bad apologized and tried to play better. The ones I encounter just flame and blame the team then proceed to play without care. If they owned up to playing bad, more people won't bash them for having a bad game.

Azure Hamster1/10/2017, 9:11:01 PM1 votes

As a support, I determine this by looking at the ADC's CS skills. You can just tell the difference between a Bronze 5 ADC and a Silver 5 ADC by how they CS. As an ADC, I look at how the support chooses engagements.

If they engage/CS like a moron, they're probably just bad and I try to carry them. If they engage/CS reasonably well and things still aren't working out, I think A) it's a bad game for them or B) our lane opponents are really good.

Sometimes you have bad games because your opponents are particularly good for their MMR, usually through teamcomp/teamwork meshing properly.

Caitlyn

SanKakU1/10/2017, 10:01:21 PM1 votes

The bad luck usually comes in the form of, "Muahahaha...I saw them come after you and I did nothing. Cancer feeder can't even kill 2+ guys in a 1vs3-5...while me and my buddy are just waiting for a favorable moment to join the free for all." kind of players being on their team. Some people just think this game's a free for all, and if you call them out on it, you're the toxic one.

General Esdeath 1/10/2017, 10:45:14 PM1 votes

I had someone praise me one game for going 11/2 as Riven and then flame me the next game calling me trash because I went 1/4.

vOmvbrawfU1/11/2017, 12:54:10 AM1 votes

It's because there is a difference. If you're 0-3 and still trying to all in the enemy, you're not having a bad game, you're trash.

Troll for Trump1/11/2017, 5:26:12 AM1 votes

"I'm lagging"

"sure" "lol excuses" "you're just bad" "im lagging too ;]"

People in the game are assholes

ChaoticPinecone1/11/2017, 7:08:31 AM1 votes

Depends on the problem in question.

Feeding multiple times in lane cause you keep going aggressive? That guy just sucks. He knows how to play with a lead, but doesnt know how to play when behind. Thats not just a bad game, casue they have the same playstyle each game. Its that they know one playstyle and dont know how to do anything else when it doesnt work.

And you can generally tell who are the good players having a bad game. Just they way they cancel animations, stutter step, the way they weave autoattacks into their abilities, move, CS, map rotations, etc. Even if they arent fed, you can tell when youre playing against or with a good player.

GoleBilon1/10/2017, 2:05:34 AM1 votes

Yea i mostly do , i never blame my teammate for going 0/5 shit happens maybe he got ganked , maybe he is tilted w/e

but you know what sucks , when this fucker is trying hard to NOT get carried, you give him advices he responds with flame. you want to lane swap him bot from top to give him security of a tower he refuses. You ping incoming ganks he does not pay attention. I had a game with toplane nasus. he went 0/11/0 i dont mind the score he wasnt inting he was just bad. But fuck him , when he was 0/5 and like 40-50 cs down with nearly 0 stacks we told him to abort the mission of building triforce because his powerspike will be too late and its not optimal. we told him to build some hp and resistances to survive lane and dont die more as well as tank in TF. He did not respond build tri force ( he had it build at 21 minutes XD without boots) you know what he did after ? he started building tiamat .... we lost he was the sole reason we lost

You know how its called what he did ? inting , he refused to communicate , refused to take advices , and basically 1v9 carried enemy team.

Conclusion: yea there are situations where people have bad game , but if you do dont be shy and ask for help/advice from your team. Dont try to carry while being 0/4 it does not work , try to be rellevant or at least let your team carry.

Kaaboose1/11/2017, 8:35:21 PM1 votes

{quoted}

Sometimes it feels like no one ever believes the whole "I'm having a bad game" reason, and are intrinsically required to assume the worst of all other random players. If they're underperforming because of a bad matchup, lag, or perhaps just messing up a combo or two that leads to snowballing, you can't even say "having a bad day?". Nonono, they HAVE to be "trash".

Probably people just find it easier when they can say "this guy's cancer" rather than "this guy's having bad luck".

I ALWAYS think of this. It's even worse when the team starts piling onto the poor guy/gal when you KNOW all of these players have had bad games like this as well.

aspects11/10/2017, 5:09:56 AM1 votes

but is it lag or "lag"

Supreme Senpai691/10/2017, 5:22:57 AM1 votes

I like to look at my team in op.gg before the game and if I see they generally do well I give them the benefit of the doubt. If their laner is mastery 6 or 7 I won't say anything. If they're nice, they can be the worst bronze 5 player to exist and I'll keep my mouth shut. But every now and then I'll get an ADC who just... just... will not right click? Like, go and run into every Blitz/Thresh Q. I will save you and turn it. Think you're invincible, positioning is hard, go be our frontline. We'll win the teamfight. But if you won't attack the minions or the enemy, I have to assume you just suck ass at the game? That's from my support standpoint. When I jungle and gank, you'll see sometimes that the laners just will not attack the enemy. At all. And so when you have to leave, usually via flash when the enemy realizes it's actually just a 1v1 against someone with less gold, the laner will go in and die.

People do have bad games but honestly, a lot of the time, people are just.... bad.

The real issue stems from what happens after you realize your teammate is a potato. Because it's fine that they suck ass. It's frustrating, but a lot of people suck ass at the game. Just don't flame em.

VirusSixZero1/10/2017, 5:25:38 AM1 votes

I find bad decision making is the more common trait than fluke bad games. Someone might be legitimately tired, having a bad day, etc. Yet it's more often their gameplay decisions that seal their fate rather than some random wheel of fortune. I see a lot of players go for hail Mary long shots and try to set up complicated, orchestrated combos, only to rage when they don't work out, feeding into their desperation. Not taking a drake that is freely available, scoring an ace and not snowballing that into a Baron or 2 dead towers, but instead backing to get HP and buying items...those are the kinds of things that lose games. Being 0/4/0 at 6 minutes isn't game over, it's the decisions you make with the information you have available that determines the outcome from that point onward.

Sure, bad games happen. If you recognize your game isn't going well, the best course of action is to look at your decisions, and how you can change the working strategy that clearly isn't producing. You may not be able to do anything about an opponent that is simply better than you, but you can at least delay them, prevent roams, soak up opposing team resources, do whatever you can.

If you're having a bad game, you can still look at how you can fit your performance into a strategy that will mesh with your team to get a victory. You might be the ugly duckling on the scoreboard, but a win is a win at the end of it all.

Oleandervine1/10/2017, 5:25:53 AM1 votes

I only assume people are assholes if they flame in chat or otherwise start raging about losing and throwing a general fit. I've been on teams where there's been people who have unfortunately died a lot to an enemy champion - most of the time, they keep on trying to make it work, and the jungle helps out too. I always give the benefit of the doubt if they don't start raging at everything.

breakordoom4441/10/2017, 5:39:59 AM1 votes

i agree, this happens alot. but heres the thing, as people start to know the champions combos,tip etc. people will under stand "having a bad day" and the higher you climb the less people do this.

Shifue Draven1/10/2017, 6:06:02 AM1 votes

I do honestly i know people have bad games and i am fine with this as we all will. However this is a difference between a bad game and doing what the veigar did in my last game of the night facing oriana. He kept rushing her and chasing her down the lane and fed her to hell and back i ganked her after she got 1 kill trying to open him a path and he just kept stupidly rushing her and got destroyed. Which then she lead her team to win as she was at 8-2 but the 14 min mark and we could not team fight because of her aoe. We held out for a while but veigar ham stringed us even more by wandering around and getting caught out so it really ended the game.

I did not bash him or flame him but i did tell him to play safe please cause if she gets to far ahead i can't kill her and that is what happened.

Covert Ops Gnar1/10/2017, 6:14:55 AM1 votes

They only have a bad game in my game

Meowing Mango1/10/2017, 10:46:01 AM1 votes

I personally get caught up more in a person's current rank and what I EXPECT them to play like - as I do believe your rank should be a real reflection rather than being a number. If they are Platinum or higher, then I expect them to play as such. Is it wrong for me to think this way? If someone is Silver or Bronze, then I am going to assume some pretty boneheaded plays from their end.

When someone on my team was apparently Diamond last season, but they play like they just installed, I am going to assume they boosted and I wish that I could report them for (apparently) boosting.

And yes, everyone has bad games. Even the best of us, but I just think there should be a certain expectation when someone is sporting a certain border.

Boosted animals everywhere...

AVL Prince1/10/2017, 4:28:50 PM1 votes

I do everytime, and so I don't flame them.

Doesn't stop me from getting pissed sometimes tho like srsly it's not their fault but come on 1-10??? Ugh that just is so unlucky.