my boys, one in particular but they're both guilty of it, and their friends, are little pricks sometimes while playing online (halo 3 right now). they can get mouthy and sometimes even spoil a game by shooting team mates and doing stupid stuff.
i want to back hand them when i see them doing it. little bastards. it's so inconsiderate. i've spoken to both of them about it. i'm about to ban my youngest (12yr. old) form online play for ruining a game and getting mouthy.

as online gamers moreso than i am, is there anything you guys can suggest with regards to the gaming aspect that i can do? i'm getting too old and out of touch with these things and there may be other things i can do that i'm not aware of.

Whatever happened to going outside and playing? If they are playing to the point of swearing and getting angsty/prinkish when playing a game, I think its time to put down the controller and do something away from the TV.

no. it's not that. they think it's funny. they're entertained by this.

actually they don't play that much. an hour a day each or so.

Smacktalk and teamkilling is an integral part of the online experience. The earlier they learn how to do it properly the better.

I say banninate.

Trash talk I wouldn't consider too bad, depending on exactly what they're saying.

Teamkilling however is total bs. I'm surprised they do it on Halo 3, because if you do it enough you can get kicked/lose rank.

Not if they're playing in the social hoppers where rank is a nonissue.

Kill the Live account.
Take away the 360.
Take away Halo.
Take away all gaming privileges.
Beat them firmly about the buttocks. (sarcasm)

Choose any combination you like. Your kids are the people everyone hates on Live. I don't mean to be rude, but please, jump in and kill it before it gets anymore out of hand. I'm not a parent though, so I can't really recommend much beyond the things listed above.

Also, it might not hurt to let them know that Bungie sorts people like them OUT of the system and INTO games with like minded people. That is to say, if they keep it up, and their reputation and stats are bad enough, they'll just start playing with all the other asses and cheaters online. I'm not ENTIRELY sure it applies to social matchmaking, but it is real, and could perhaps make a decent motivator. Mostly because once that happens, you can't get out of there unless you make a new Live account and start over.

They're pretty heavy with the banhammer for team killers, I just mute 12 year old trash talkers.

Think of the life-lesson implications: if they're killing teammates in a videogame, how long is it before they're killing squadmates in a WARZONE?!?!?!

But really, it sounds like this is a case of disregard for teamwork and structured "rules of the game." Boys often rail against rules and decency. I doubt videogames are the proper arena to ingrain a respect for them, since trashtalking and a**hattery can is for many an acceptable part of the experience.

Keep on keeping in.

For every person that takes video games way too ****ing seriously there needs to be a 12 year old telling them their grandmother masturbates with old pickles and TKing them.

Whatever happened to good ol' karate chops and roundhouse kicks?

Oooo, Oooo, I know. Restrict their play to Free For All games only! (Lone Wolves)

When they're not around, go into their profile, join a game, and then leave in the middle of it. Repeat.

It'll bring their experience points down.

All games are liable to **** talk, but I find that when you are in a community of friends or an environment where your reputation is at stake, ****-talk basically evaporates and everyone plays to win. Counter-Strike, Team Fortress, DOTA all games I play where tons of people ruin games with **** talk. If you play in clan server/match/league or TDA, **** talk just doesn't fly. And the players are much more competitive

I don't how you would apply this to HALO. Playing COD4 on Live recently I usually end up just taking off the headset because of kids/jackasses ruining the game over voice.

edit: I wouldn't let my kids play games with that kind of attitude towards others. It's the same as any other team game - hockey, soccer etc. They need to learn to play well with others. Teach them the mic is for teamwork and making friends, not for ****ting on new players.

What he said ^^

My first thought when reading the title was "do you really want parenting advice from massassi???"

I'm kind of surprised you care about teamkilling. Swearing, sure, but who cares how they play some video game?

I mean, it's not like they're playing real sports. And personally, if I was playing CS or something and somebody was TKing me I would either leave the server or just make sure to get them first. Who cares?

Playing online is like taking the mask of the real world off. When you get online, you do things you wouldn't do IRL because there aren't consequences. It shows that if you could get away with doing malicious things in real life games/sports, you would do it. Just because you can get away with something in a game doesn't mean you shouldn't be respectful or follow gaming etiquette.

So why complain about team killing then ignore someone in internet?

Basically the same thing. :/


There are *******s involved in EVERY SPORT, real or on internet.

Just because you find *******s in every sport doesn't mean Evad shouldn't take an active role in preventing his kids from becoming the same, though. It's a rather vicious cycle, otherwise.

I like the community aspect of it all. Try to get your kids into playing with groups of friends where it's not just some nameless and faceless person on the other end.

Take the microphone away! I don't care about getting TK'd but when that 11/12yo voice pipes in and screams something about my dog, mom and local mailman that I get irritated. Since there is no keyboard they still can't spew annoyances to other players - but most of all they can't talk with their friends. Soon they'll be bugging for the headset back and you can restrict it based on their attitudes towards other players.

I like this idea.

As far as team killing goes, best thing I guess would be to have them play on a team with friends. That way if they TK their friends can beat the **** out of them.

I will say that I do appreciate your taking an active role in this aspect of their lives. The Xbox Live community thanks you.

I recommend beatings. Severe beatings.

Thirded. If they kill me, I'll get irritated. If they trash talk like an idiot after killing me, I'll get pissed. Especially if it's children. It makes them look like idiots, and their parents look completely irresponsible.



Seconded. I don't remember how old your kids are, but if I had children, this is how they'd be playing online by themselves. Not to protect them from OMFGPREDATORS, but so they don't become *******.



Obviously works best if they're all in the same room.




Here here.



That doesn't really work in Halo. Again, depends on if you're in the Ranked or Social hoppers. If it's Ranked, and you leave, your experience is negatively effected. Social doesn't give a crap I don't think. Also, Team Killing at all in Halo is frowned upon. Getting the other person first doesn't work. The system can't tell you're going for revenge, or to stop them from going after your team. The system only sees Team Killing. And the system doesn't like Team Killing. Not to mention the fact, that Halo has started allowing players to boot people who betray them. (it did in the Beta... I swear I haven't seen it since, and I know it's there) So if you didn't boot the ****** running around killing your team the first go round, and then you kill him, he's likely to get a giggle out of booting you.

Dave, as a parent of a 20 year old and a 2 year old I would say don't worry about it. If that is the way they enjoy the games then so be it. If you think that their "bad behavior" in the online world is affecting their interaction with the real world then take whatever action you feel appropriate.

Now, if while playing the game they are acting a way that you consider inappropriate in the house (language, loudness, etc...) and disturbing your home then you should also take whatever action you find appropriate, whether that be restricting them to a certain room while playing or not playing at all.

In general, I think it is the responsibility of the individual gamer to avoid people that bother them. Xbox Live offers gamers plenty of tools to do so.

The responsibility of the individual gamer is not to be a prick to others online!

Sure there is room for some friendly trash talking and stuff, but I know kids (in general) on Live are arrogant, loudmouthed punks that just like to spew out whatever they can across the network. When you're verbally dealing with other players, you are affecting their real life. Having to take time out of my game to go through the dashboard to report or mute another player takes time away from MY gaming, not theirs. They get to run around and go "BALLS BALLLS BALLLLLSS YOU LOVE BALLS!" and teabag their TK victims, meanwhile I'm in a menu trying to do something about instead of actually getting to play.

When you play something to unwind and have some fun and it becomes a frustrating environment to play in, its not fun anymore.

Sorry, its been a rough few nights of CoD4 and little kids playing. I don't get why at 1am there are still 12 year olds playing on a school night lol

thanks.

i just remember playing jk online. i hated those little pricks and so i didn't play online much. with galaxies it was mostly guys from here and a couple of others. in bf 2142 i just left the server.

it may be online and they may be faceless but it still sucks when some little prick ruins it.

they're not like that irl or in sports. my youngest boy, 12yr old, plays a lot of sports with his friends and i know he gets upset sometimes when someone is pissing about.

Take away their headsets for part of the problem. Don't know what to do about the TKing though.

Take away the game?

Look, I do agree that it is in bad taste and you should express that and attempt to change their behavior. I just don't think that "extreme" punishment should be involved unless you think this is building to a bigger problem.

Also, referring to the age poll, I think you should disregard most of these posters just as they want to disregard us so they can make a pretty curve!

Your kids are quite a bit older than mine (mine are 5 yrs and the other 18 months), so I haven't had any kind of problems anywhere remotely like this. Plus, I know nothing of Halo, other than the one time I played it and I thought it was like UT2004 in molasses.

Helpful, huh.

I don't know how the online play works for Halo, but I remember in the Zone days for JK, if someone was being a *****, they'd get kicked. Surely, there's something similar for Halo, and wouldn't the other online players boot them if their behavior was annoying them?

Obviously, they don't share the same respect for the online community their daddy does. I don't know how you could bridge that gap.

My suggestion is to buy another copy of Halo 3.

Find the nearest neighbour you have who's REALLY mouthy, the kind of guy who essentially can converse using nothing but random combinations of swear words and sexual innuendos. Oh, and who also owns a 360.

Anyway, the next time they start acting up;

"I'm off down the shops"

Head over to your mates place, find your kids online and start team-killing them while your companion churns out a litany of abuse down the microphone. I have no idea what else is considered cheap in Halo 3, but go for the lot.

One of my friends years ago used to run from PK's in Ultima Online while his chubby egyptian mate belted out insults using the keyboard. Not quite the same thing, but it's entirely feasible.

if they are TKing and such just to get their jollies remind them that their chances of ever getting laid are reduced if they continue down the path of the "griefer"

there are acceptable TKs... shooting the TKing smacktard on your team... red army motivation... and of course accidents do happen

IT'S JUST A VIDEO GAME.


It's the people who take this **** WAAAAAY too seriously that really ruin it.

TKing (team killing) is one of the greatest past times in a game when you've played it to death and no one else can beat you... even if they can... it adds a new type of gameplay... you never know if someone is going to kill you or not.

and it is just a game

i agree with Backslash. it's supposed to be fun and i hate when it gets frustrating.

turns out the TK'ing i saw was just a single incident. they were getting back at someone who was doing it.
i still don't like the mouthy trash talking. i told them if i ever heard them doing it again i'd hit the power button and that would be it for the day for gaming. we'll see what happens.

Sounds fair to me mate.

Yeah, seems reasonable.

I would remove their microphone privileges, and ask them why you did that, and see if they can come to the same conclusion you did.