Boards›Player Behavior

I'd like to talk about MUTE

VITEV009·12/18/2015, 10:46:37 PM·1 votes·871 views

Greeting;

I would like to discuss a topic that often comes up, but is never really explored in depth. It seems to be that people never want to mute toxic players. It's simple to do and solves a lot of problems, but it is more often than not ignored. Why is this? It seems that the usual answer is "I want to communicate to my team." which I can understand, but is a shallow excuse. If someone is being toxic towards you I highly doubt they would even listen to what you would have to say, let alone agree with you.

In my games if someone is toxic or just likes to whine about everything I just press mute. It doesn't hurt, makes me feel better because I don't have to see their chat, and I function better because I'm not being constantly bombarded by empty threats about coming over to my house to kill me. because I miss timed a Bard ult or something. If I'm on tilt I'll even sometimes inform my team in champ select that I'm just going to mute them all from the start because I know myself, if I'm on tilt and someone starts being toxic I'll just rage back at them and make the situation worse, so i stop myself before that happens.

So here's an open discussion. If you refuse to mute people, what is your reason? I'm genuinely curious, because for me, the mute button single handedly saved this game for me. If it didn't exist I would have quit years ago because of how toxic people can be. Out of sight out of mind as they say.

7 Comments

Ice Weasel X12/18/2015, 11:06:08 PM2 votes

I never mute because I like evidence. I want to know what's going on around me. I also shouldn't have to cover my eyes because someone on my team has the social aptitude of Donald Trump at a mosque.

Then again, in most cases I don't even respond to the vitriol. Unless I crash, I'm poking the report button in post-game chat.

Wolfenstin12/19/2015, 2:17:50 AM2 votes

I mute and report, not one or the other. The mute button does not exist to excuse toxic behavior, it's a means to keep toxic players from putting you on tilt and basically get their chat off your screen for the duration of the time you're being held hostage with them.

Now, I know that's not the basis of this thread, but that's my two cents. Why people chose not to mute is beyond me. Perhaps as someone suggested that they keep toxic players unmuted so that they may add more detail to what exactly they're reporting the person for, or because maybe they're fooling themselves into thinking they'll win an argument with the person?

ValyrianBlade12/18/2015, 10:53:25 PM1 votes

I don't mute because regardless of what people say, I don't let it get to me. If I'm in a bad mood I'll mute, otherwise I'll leave it so I can report more reliably (or learn to forgive them).

PIMPSMOOTH12/18/2015, 11:12:07 PM1 votes

I also shouldn't have to cover my eyes because someone on my team has the social aptitude of Donald Trump at a mosque.

LMFAO!

http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/square_avatar/1551/15516851/2941766-lfs15.png

sheldonbunny12/19/2015, 12:21:59 AM1 votes

I don't mute, but i'm also the kind of person that never blocks or unfriends people. Just the kind of person I am. I deal with people, or I simply don't talk to them.

TrulyBland12/19/2015, 3:14:54 AM1 votes

Not everybody communicates unambiguously via pings. So I prefer to be able to read it when they, for once, write something useful like "they're doing baron".

I also sometimes, albeit rarely, change my mind about reporting somebody when they actually improve their behaviour over the course of the game. Naturally, you can't see that when you mute them. The rare moments when people where people actually apologize for their behaviour are worth it for me.

Lastly, I usually play with my friends and we talk via TS/Skype. And to be honest there are some particularly overreacting ragers that can be an amazing source of entertainment if you can joke about them outside of chat.

However I should say that I don't outright refuse to mute. I mute people the moment I notice that (for whatever reason) they're starting to get to me, and it subsequently starts affecting my play.