There’s no doubt that, sooner or later, all gamers are going to experience being ‘tilted,’ whether that is in a competitive match, or just against a friend they can’t defeat. ‘Tilt’ as a gaming term is associated with frustration, rage, and deterioration of gameplay ability.
In order to avoid this undesirable sensation, psychologists from the British Esports Association gathered to define a guide for players to overcome the tilt and go back to enjoying their gaming experiences.
1) Knowing and understanding tilt
The first thing you need to do is make sure you understand what tilt is, and can recognise when you are beginning to become tilted. In essence, tilt is a negative reaction to how your game is going, generally causing you to become increasingly more stressed and angry. There’s a thin line between being tilted and being toxic, of which the two do get confused for each other regularly.
Tilt can progress into toxicity, but the difference is that when you become tilted, you focus on your own mistakes rather than others. It can range from being an unconscious thing, to you being very aware of your anger towards what is happening in the game. Recognising when you are getting tilted is important to ensure you can stay on track, and not fall into the trap of developing stress and anger feelings. This is a personal thing to everyone, so keep track of what things cause you to become triggered, and tackle them before it gets out of hand.
2) Take a step away
Whilst having an uninterrupted gaming session can be desirable, it can cause a lot of stress to build up and then the tilt can start creeping up. Becoming tilted and frustrated is bound to happen at some point in a high-pressure environment, especially if you’re playing for long periods of time. The best thing you can do to help stop yourself from getting too overwhelmed is to take a step away from the game for short breaks.
Taking yourself out of that stressful situation gives you time to reset, and shift your focus onto something else to calm yourself down. Generally, people find doing light exercise helpful in this scenario, but that’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Things like reading, going for a short walk, or even cooking are all effective ways to take that break and re-centre yourself before getting stuck back in.
3) Remember: it is just a game
As mentioned previously, tilt can become more likely to happen when you are in stressful situations. So keeping yourself in touch with reality is key to ensuring the tilt doesn’t get the best of you. Even though gaming can be incredibly immersing, the more you submerge yourself into your in-game performance, the more you will be affected if something goes wrong. Knowing when to take a step back and remember that what you are playing is just a game will make all the difference, and you will find yourself able to overcome the tilt a lot easier.
Whilst gaming is a career for many people, especially Esports players, striking the balance between practice and rest can allow you to stay calm and collected in high pressure environments. Keeping in touch with reality and reminding yourself that it is just a video game will allow you to overcome tilt when it arises, and, in essence, keep yourself positive.
4) Learn from your mistakes
It’s easier said than done, but try not to let your mistakes in game let you become tilted. Instead, learn from your mistakes to keep a cool head and transform into a better player. Whilst you can easily get caught up in missing a shot or not winning a match, take those mistakes and learn from them. If you are not as strong in a certain area, take some time to practice those things and you will notice improvements.
This is something commonly done in the professional scene, where coaches will take areas of weakness and make sure the players improve to ensure they don’t get caught up in the negatives. By developing your skills and ability as a player instead of getting tilted, you are then able to have a lot more confidence in yourself, and prevent that frustration from taking over. Doing this, you will notice your ability and skill develop, whilst showcasing to yourself that you can overcome tilt and turn it into something beneficial.
5) Play positive
One of the best ways to avoid becoming tilted or agitated in game is to make sure you are in a positive mindset before you start playing. By entering a game angry, you are more likely to be triggered easily by mistakes or comments, and thus become tilted a lot easier.
Although we acknowledge how gaming can be a positive outlet for when you’re having a bad day, sometimes, having that pressure on yourself to do well will make you more susceptible to tilt. Before you log on to play, take a moment to think about if you’re going to get triggered easily by things that may happen in the game, and about the day you have had before coming to play. If you are feeling positive and determined to play, then go for it, but remember the other points to ensure you stay in that mindset throughout playing.