EVER gone from esports champion to flaming keyboard warrior in two clicks? It happens to the best of us.

Competitive online games demand lightning reflexes and strategic smarts, but the real test lies between your ears. Because when frustration boils over, turning you from a tactical mastermind into a raging teammate, that’s when “tilt” sets in.

What is the difference between trolling, malding, or tilted

To “troll” or to become a troll is when a person voluntarily makes things difficult for their teammates, either out of demotivation or irritation directed towards the game and the people they are playing with. 

Trolls are often tilted players who want to share their misery.

“Malding” is a combination of the words “mad” and “balding”, referencing the kind of feeling wherein a person is so angry that they could pull all their hair out. 

This is an intense reaction caused by getting tilted, and is often evident when a person begins actively blaming and trash-talking others.

Meanwhile, “tilt” comes from the mechanism found in pinball arcades with the same name, triggered when a person tries moving the machines out of rage which ends their game. Similarly, in esports, a tilted player is someone who, through emotionally driven irrational decisions, ends up making the state of their games worse,  thus increasing their frustrations.

How does tilt sabotage your game (and life)?

Republicasia asked three people who have spent hundreds of hours on competitive online games (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, League of Legends, and Valorant) about their experience and their own ways of coping with feeling tilt and mald.

Joshua Benito, 21, often gets tilted when he loses and encounters bad teammates and trash talkers. 

This puts him in a bad headspace and makes him play worse, leading to arguments that “ruin the games for everyone.” 

These arguments have also taken place between Joshua and his friends, and sometimes even his partner.

Cedric Jeus Maglalang, 20, often experiences getting tilted whenever he feels like he cannot “control or figure out a solution to a state of playing,” like when his team loses rounds that “shouldn’t be lost.” 

His being vocal about his frustrations often leads to more issues with the team due to his inability to control the tone, manner, or frequency of his feedback. 

When asked about how this has affected his relationships, he said that he would have “happier and closer relationships with the people that matter” if he could drop his competitive personality.

Ashanti Xianye Aringo, 22, said that when she starts malding, she starts to blame her teammates, becoming demotivated while she plays poorly. 

This happens whenever her allies do not play on par with her own skills, or when they start to troll. There has also been an instance where she ended up projecting her frustrations onto her younger brother.

How to stay cool under fire?

When Joshua realizes what is happening, he chooses to mute the games while playing, then listens to music while focusing on what he can do by himself to improve the game state instead of blaming his teammates. 

Although the arguments he would have with his close friends and partner are often resolved quickly, he said that it really does take a toll on your social life and mental health.

Cedric says that to avoid instances like this, he would meditate and focus his mentality before and after playing, ensuring that he takes deep breaths in between rounds as well. He appreciates his partner for being patient with him and his tendency to be overly competitive. 

“I’ve been slowly learning techniques that help me let go of the need to always win, to control my breathing, and just learning to slow myself down and visualize a more respectful response,” he said.

Whenever she gets tilted, Ashanti said that she talks to herself positively and mutes her allies to stop any more negative interactions with them. Whenever she gets into a bad mood because of playing, she takes it as a sign to stop for the day.

How can others avoid getting tilted?

“Just breathe and think about why you’re angry,” Joshua said. 

“It’s really not worth getting mad about a game. It’s just one game over your mental health so just breathe, log off, and touch grass.”

“Touch grass” is a formerly derogatory phrase used to tell someone to leave their room and stop playing because they are trying too hard at a game. 

Here, he says it as a way to tell players to take a break from the pressure of online competitive games.

Cedric says: “Some games have extremely competitive communities, and I understand the frustrations of losing, but at the end of the day, you should just enjoy or love playing the game at its core. Spend time with friends rather than trying to win all the time.”

Ashanti also added that players should practice mindfulness to stay aware of their emotions while gaming. 

“Instead of dwelling on losses and setbacks, they should view them as opportunities to improve their skills,” she advised.

“Always remember that it’s just a game and you are playing to have fun, not stressed out.”

They all emphasized the importance of doing what helps you have fun the most, specifically interacting and playing with friends who help the environment be more in line with your vibes as opposed to playing with complete strangers.

They believe that people who play games often lose sight of why they are playing in the first place: playing to have fun, which affects their mental health.

To avoid getting tilted or having your mental health deteriorate, it is important to know what is happening. Understand that there is a problem, and proceed to take steps to address it. 

It is alright to end on a loss; the game’s not going anywhere, so you can always queue up later.

With reports from Prince Bryan J. M. Marquez