Why Are High Level Players So Toxic?

High-level players get toxic when the game stops being play and starts becoming identity. The more someone’s self-worth depends on winning, the more toxic losing makes them.

I think with being high level at anything, you are very self-critical. That internal dialogue becomes so normal you don't realize that's not the way you should talk to other people. I realized this after coaching and someone asked me "How would you feel if someone talked to you like that?" After I made some scathing remarks. My response was "What do you mean? That's how I talk to myself." I realized this was something I needed to work on for myself and for anyone I would be mentoring.

When I used to play League, I was perpetually trapped in Bronze and all my friends who also played League were at least Silver. Every time I met a new group that played League, everyone would eventually quit because 'League is too toxic' and I was always like 'I almost never get toxic players, that's weird.' I eventually chalked it up to something like this after a friend who found out I was still Bronze said 'man I miss being in Bronze, no one takes the game seriously in Bronze.' Funnily, my eventually quitting of League ultimately had nothing to do with player toxicity, but because my corner of the matchmaking algo even on non-ranked matches kept putting me in matches that would go for an HOUR and I just did not have the patience for that lmao.

Accomplishment can breed arrogance - arrogance is almost always toxic

idk in my experience the higher elo players are more accepting and understanding and enjoyable while the kids stuck at mid elo that think they are pros or new players that have fragile ego and are having trouble managing/understanding the mechanics are the most verbally brutal

Toxic players can really ruin the games

I think the main problem with toxicity at high level play is those that already hit their roof, and those that have a LOT of skill, but absolutely no strategical insight or ability to predict consequences to choices. Aka, the lone wolves that play amazing, yet suffocate their team... and thus lose. An old pro-mate of mine joined in on a regular Overwatch match and he absolutely played the stars out of the sky. But we kept losing, again, and again and again. He played tank, and for the 10 seconds he actually protected us, 99% of the match he was just out hunting, as a tank. He kept demanding heals, our healers kept splitting away from the group. Everyone in the team played incredibly bad because we were just scattered. His conclusion? We just sucked. He was doing more dps than both our dps combined. He ragequit, and we didn't speak for 2 years after that. When our regular tank came back online, we actually all did good again. And my pro mate, when we played in the top 10 of the world in a different game... we ran into the same problem, he refused to adapt to the team... kept improvising as a key member. Its why we got stuck in 3rd place in the world... and why he as the team captain tried replacing me, because I was the only one calling him out on his bullshit. And once they gently tried to force me out of the team and replaced me. They felt like they were stronger, but they kept getting worse every week. I do not wonder why...

I know that the top level of Deadlock is also completely disgusting humans who are just mean and very unwell. Theres actual strait up Zero Reward for being Eternus so this analysis makes sense.

In other words, when you make winning your whole life, you have to keep on winning, no matter what. No matter what it costs you... or the people around you.

That's why I avoid competitive modes in games

Even at top 500 it's rough LMAO

Dr. K just called out the immature losers.

Competitive team games are a trap and are almost never worth it

I think many people just have unrealistic expectations of others when they've played a game for 8+ hours a day for years. Others have an inflated ego with no capacity for self-criticism, and consequently everything must be the fault of their teammates, their character, the game, RNG, or whatever excuse best protects their ego. Ultimately it all flows from tying your self-worth to being good at a game.

One other thing I notice is people will often get labeled as toxic for no other reason than being good at the game. I play Titanfall 2 with a group of friends and we frequently get labeled as toxic even though we don't say a word to the other team we just crush them and if they don't complain we let them leave on the ship at the end which gives them more points for the match. This isn't a truth some want to hear but getting crushed by someone of a higher skill level alone isn't toxic it's just part of the game and happens to us all.

About half way you start to see the similarities to working in general. All that work and nothing to show for it.

Dude said "go touch grass" in the most professional way possible. But lets be honest, all these high level players who don't do it for money or streaming are essentially just unemployed losers. Because the amount of time and effort it takes to maintain that position in a highly competitive game doesn't allow you to have a job or a social life. And I have sweated in games during my teenage years to know that the wins stop feeling good, but the losses feel ten times as hard. So, stewing in that much negativity just makes them toxic.

There are 5,000 players for about 5 - 10 positions of successful streamers/tournament players. You're going to get an asshole or two within those numbers.

In short: touch grass.

I've also heard from some high level coaches that the higher elo players tend to take their own mistakes personally, even during their first climb. It's definitely an identity thing, they have something to prove, and so the toxicity comes when something happens that in any way challenges or undermines that