It’s Monday and time for Ask Kotaku, the weekly function in which Kotaku-ite deliberates on a single burning question. Then we ask you.
This week we ask Kotaku: Have you ever raged and thrown a controller?
Fahey
Although I had never cast a controller myself, I was with someone who did. Actually, I helped bring him into this world. My son, Seamus, currently nine years old, broke two different televisions by throwing Xbox One controllers in their general direction. Although I have not seen it happen myself – the televisions were both in the nursery – his twins, Archer, tattooed on him on both occasions, which is bad from a brother’s point of view, but an okay from a parenting point of view – regard.
Interestingly, no check throw was due to frustration over the game. I believe the first time was because the batteries of the Xbox were empty. The incident was followed by a lengthy discussion about how it is cheaper to replace a pair of AA batteries than a $ 500 television. The second time was because the control buttons got stuck with some kind of rough kid. Melted chocolate, sticky juice, possibly mucus. All the reasons why I have my own controllers and will no longer handle them without antibacterial wipes.
Maybe it’s not so much about the controllers, because it’s the catharsis of throwing things that upsets you. I say this because Archer recently dropped our Alexa from our second floor balcony because I let it play too much ‘Cotton-Eye Joe’ at the Rednecks once. Maybe I should just stop teasing the kids.
Alexandra
I’ve never thrown a controller before, and honestly, I would be scared if someone I was playing a game with suddenly got so angry that he would start throwing projectiles. I will also be very unimpressed. Love yourself, you make me feel judicious. (Admittedly not difficult.)
But I definitely had my own little outbursts, just switching back to 3 or 4 instead of 11. In my younger days, I occasionally broke a frustrated outburst when I ate shit in some high-stakes games sitch. OK, maybe more recently too. In moments of particular frustration, I would go so far as to strike my right leg with a modest level of force. I can not remember seeing bruises after that, but it deserves my leg. Sorry, button!
Sometimes, when a game aggravates me, and it’s not quite on the level of thigh abuse, I push the controller very hard and I start turning each side in the opposite directions, as if trying to unscrew it. But as soon as plastic starts to crack, I immediately pull back because my mom raised me too well to break perfectly good game blocks. Damn things are expensive these days! However, it’s good to let go of the slightly charged emotion before I compose myself again for an attempt.
Zack
I threw my controllers gently in frustration on a couch or bed. I did not try to break them in these moments, but only to free myself from the game. And I’m going to put a family member at stake, my brother cut some controllers.
One incident that came to my mind happened when we were younger. He played something on the Xbox 360, possibly a Madden of a FIFA game, and he got angry. In a moment of anger, he throws his controller through the room. We had wooden floors and the controller left a large, noticeable dent in the wood. The controller, shockingly, still worked. The handles were a bit cracked, but an adhesive tape fixed it. Another time, he hit the controller with so much force on the floor, that it jumped back into his hands, even though the battery pack was flying.
Over the past year, he has calmed down somewhat, which is good because controllers are not cheap. I tried to explain to him that breaking controllers was not a great idea, but he could not care less! The only rule I had was that he could not play with my controllers. And he never did. Instead, he had a small collection of slightly broken game blocks that required more abuse than a GTA Online NPC.
Lisa Marie
I treat my controllers with the utmost respect. I clean it regularly and store it neatly. I would never vent my frustration on them. You guys are wild.
Ian
I’ve never been throwing video game controllers myself – especially not with the prizes it’s going for these days, but I’ve had a lot … let’s say, passionate rage from my time fighting fighting tournaments.
It is not uncommon at events like the Evolution Championship Series to walk through the participant area and hear a rumble or scream as someone hands over their ass to them. And although it has not yet happened in my area, cast pillows and arcade sticks do happen, although perhaps not as often as in the country Smash community.
Do not get me wrong, I totally understand it. The frustration of losing with something you love, combined with the fact that another person may have just knocked you out of an important tournament, can bring out the anger monster in anyone. I prefer people to count to 10 and breathe before going berserk, but as long as you do not hurt anyone, do what you have to do!
What about you?
Kotakuweighed in, but what do you take? Are you in a full anger mode, or has a quiet life of meditation and meditation blunted your basic impulses? Say your say! We’ll be back next Monday to discuss and debate another nerdy issue. See you in the comments!
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