Gaming has grown from a niche interest to become a practically universal pastime. Wherever you go, you’ll find people playing on their devices, from online casino games to strategy games such as Clash of Clans, puzzle games such as sudoku and many more. As a result, people are becoming more aware of how gaming can affect one’s behavior.
The US is one of the leading gaming hotspots in the world, especially with esports gaining popularity. Even though this development stimulates the economy and creates jobs, it can, unfortunately, have a darker effect. The range of angry gamers goes from adults who may lose their cool playing casino games to teenagers who fixate on combat live-streaming without any restriction. An angry gamer will often become obsessed to an unhealthy point, even enraged when a team or player loses. Some studies have attempted to find out which states have the most agitated gamers and some theories about why that may be the case. Read on to find out the details.
States With the Angriest Gamers
Several studies have been conducted to identify the states whose gamers have the quickest tempers, but their research methodologies were varied. Some studies focused on whether gamers broke controllers or technology or whether they rage-quit the game mid-play. These studies were conducted on general gamers regardless of whether they played online casino slots or first-person combat-style games. In general, our research below shows the angriest gamers from different states.
Pennsylvania and Oklahoma: In one study, residents in these two states scored the highest for being the angriest gamers when they were asked to rate their anger levels while gaming.
Texas: In another study, Texan gamers were found to be the most likely to rage-quit a game if it wasn’t going their way.
Arkansas, South Carolina and Nevada: In general, the majority of these quick-tempered gamers come from the South, with the fiercest of them coming from the South East.
Interestingly, a closer look at the data shows that Xbox gamers are the angriest of all, followed closely by PlayStation and then those who prefer desktop PCs. Most gamers who play on their phones are much more chilled and generally do so more for stress release than anything else. Some gamers enjoy casino games, while others enjoy the full-on gore explosion, which suggests that it has less to do with the game you play than the way it ruffles your feathers.
Do Video Games Really Make You Angry?
Gamer rage isn’t a new phenomenon. From the pre-teen boy throwing his controller to the pensioner yelling at their phone about their stuck online slots, everybody’s had an encounter with a frustrated gamer. But does gaming actually make you angry? Some studies using brain scans have shown that video gaming does lead to the suppression of emotions, including negative ones, by shutting down the part of the brain that regulates emotions — as well as the part that can learn lessons. As a result, someone may become increasingly angry without realizing it and make the same mistake repeatedly, leading to a massive outburst.
Gender also plays a role. The majority of the gaming population is male; unfortunately, emotional suppression and stigma surrounding therapy are already big problems in the male population of our modern-day culture, so this phenomenon just adds fuel to an already raging fire. Due to continual emotional suppression, people may lose their ability to identify their emotions, a condition known as alexithymia. Most (un-self-regulating) gamers are alexithymic. So, it may not be the fault of your favorite online casino game when you have a fit of rage, but instead, it may be a sign that you should actually slow down and check in with yourself.
This is why video gamers’ frustration is almost always linked to their personal levels of frustration, not the violence of the gaming content. It is also the reason why, when two people are playing casino games, one could have a good time while the other jumps out of their chair in a rage. If you are a hardcore casino games player, you must know how important it is to keep your cool to avoid tilt.
How To Have a Healthy Relationship With Gaming
The hard truth is that it’s not your best online casino game that trips you up – it’s you. You are under your own control; a game that someone else made is not. So, if you constantly find yourself becoming incensed while gaming, take that as a sign to step back. Real winners know when to stop and they know when to take care of themselves. There is no glory in a pyrrhic victory — and that’s what you’ll get if you keep raising your blood pressure instead of your self-awareness. Apart from learning how to regulate your emotions, there are some great, relaxing online casino games out there that you can play purely to calm yourself down after a long day.
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