Anybody who has played a game, digital or otherwise, has experienced rage quitting. The moment when the game has become has become so incredibly frustrating that the only response is to throw your golf club, controller, or team mate with as much force as possible. This usually results in broken pride, equipment, and bones. It is actually pretty amazing that the activities that we choose to engage in for pleasure can cause so many negative emotions, hurt feelings, and costly product replacement.
To have a successful gaming experience, in McGonigal's opinion, the game maker has to decrease the room for rage quitting in a game. That a game should be engaging to the point that it causes minor frustration, but not a frustration that will cause the players to quit the game.
Why?
Here are the reasons I have heard for quitting a game all together.
It's boring.
The graphics suck.
The story line didn't make sense.
Never that the game was too hard. This is something that I never heard come out of a gamer's mouth. Now here I do mean gamer, not the casual 'only when there is nothing else to do' gamer, but people who actively seek out the pleasure that comes from playing video games. I have watched my friend throw his controller into his flat screen smashing both the controller and the TV. Why? He had been going after the same boss for seven hours straight. A week later he had a new (and bigger) TV, turned on his game system, and through gritted teeth said, "This Bastard is mine." The rage quit is not permanent quit. Gamer's will come back, no matter how many times they want to drive a stake through their system.
What more, I think that it is a positive to be able to rage quit. I think it is safe to say we want to rage quit real life at least three times a week (not including finals week). There are moments, i feel it's safe to say, where we want to take the boss and throw him through a window, and if a wood chipper is on the other side of said window, so much the better. There are moments when the crap ass automobiles we rely on needs more repairs, that a crow bar and some old fashion smashing seems like the best idea. There are moments when our significant others are so aggravating we all the sudden understand why 'accidental' poisonings happen mainly in the home.
I digress.
What I am saying, is that we don't do these things. The same way we don't sell drugs and mow down rival gangs with Uzi's. They have consequences. I have no doubt that slapping an obtuse, insensitive, and lazy boss across the face may be one of the most amazing feelings that one could experience. The resulting assault charge and new inability to be hired may, however, diminish that joy. An oil leak may be a pain, but an impromptu car smash is just going to drive that price up. Your lover may not be waiting to accept your apology when you regain your cool and realize that you were, in fact, being an ass hat.
Games give us the an escape. A break from reality. We are able to save worlds. Disengage from our moral bonds. Fully explore a world that could never exist in our world. These are bonuses. I believe that the fact that we can see red, throw a tantrum, walk away in the most childish way possible, then, in a few days (or hours), come back ready to take on that bastard again is just as meaningful to the gaming experience as the rest. Take out your rage on something that doesn't care if you quit. It knows you'll be back
Disclaimer: I am not in support in busting TV's or controllers in the process of the rage quit. My aforementioned friend was a tool for doing so. Please punch a pillow or roommate, like an adult. Thanks!
