It’s Monday and time for Ask Kotaku, the weekly feature in which Kotaku-ites deliberate on a single burning question. Then we ask you to take it.
This week we ask Kotaku: Have you ever been angry and launched a driver?
Fahey
Although I’ve never thrown any drivers, I’ve been around someone who does. In fact, I helped him bring him into this world. My son, Seamus, who is now nine years old, has broken two different TVs by throwing Xbox One controllers in their general direction. Although I haven’t seen it happen (the TVs were both in the kids ’room), her twin, Archer, chatted to him on both occasions, which is bad from a brother’s point of view, but hey, from the point of view of parenthood.
Interestingly, neither release of the controller was due to frustration with the game. I think the first time was because the Xbox controller ran out of batteries. That incident was followed by a lengthy discussion about how it was cheaper to replace a pair of AA batteries than a $ 500 TV. The second time was because the controller buttons got stuck with a kind of childish joke. Melted chocolate, sticky juice, possibly mucus. All the reasons I have my own drivers and will no longer handle them without antibacterial wipes.
Maybe it’s not so much the drivers as the catharsis of throwing things that bother you. I say that because Archer recently threw our Alexa from the second floor balcony because I had her play “Cotton-Eye Joe” by the Rednecks once too much. Maybe I just need to stop teasing the kids.
Alexandra
I’ve never thrown a controller and frankly I would be scared if someone I played a game with suddenly got so angry that I started throwing projectiles. I would also be very impressed. Like now, grab yourself, make me feel judged. (It’s not hard, it’s true).
But I definitely had my own little outbursts, just scoring at 3 or 4 instead of 11. In my younger years, I occasionally exploded with a frustrated fun at eating shit at some sitch games. Okay, maybe even more recently. In times of particular frustration, I will get to pierce my right thigh with a modest level of strength. I don’t remember ever seeing bruises afterwards, but still, my leg doesn’t deserve it. I’m sorry, friend!
Sometimes when a game gets worse and I don’t just abuse my thighs, I squeeze the controller very hard and start turning each side in opposite directions, as if I’m trying to separate it. But as soon as the plastic starts to crunch, I back off right away, because my mom raised me too well to break some perfectly good gamepads. Damn things are expensive these days! Letting go of that charged bit of emotion before composing for another attempt seems fine to me.
Zack
I gently tossed my drivers onto a couch or bed in frustration. I wasn’t trying to break them right now, I was just freeing myself from the game. However, and I’m going to blow up a family member, my brother has released some drivers.
An incident that stays in my head happened when we were younger. I was playing something on the Xbox 360, possibly on Madden oa FIFA game, and got angry. In a moment of rage, he tossed the controller across the room. We had wooden floors and the driver left a big, noticeable sprout in the wood. The driver, surprisingly, was still working. The grips broke a bit, but some duct tape fixed it. Again he nailed the controller to the ground with such force that he returned to his hands, even though the battery flew out.
In recent years it has calmed down a bit, which is good because drivers are not cheap. I tried to explain to him that breaking the drivers wasn’t a great idea, but he didn’t care. The only rule I had was that I couldn’t play with my drivers. And he never did. Instead, it had a small collection of slightly broken gaming games that meant more abuse than a GTA online PNJ.
Lisa Marie
I treat my drivers with the utmost respect. I clean them regularly and keep them carefully. It would never take away their frustration. You are all wild.
Ian
I’ve never been able to launch video game drivers, especially with the prices they have these days, but I’ve had a lot of bangs … let’s say, passionate about my time fighting game tournaments.
No wonder, at events like the Evolution Championship Series, they walk around the competitor’s area and hear a roar or scream while someone hands them their ass. And while it hasn’t happened in my area, there are throwing pads and arcade sticks, though maybe not as often as To break community.
Don’t get me wrong, I totally understand that. The frustration of losing something you love, combined with the fact that someone else may have just eliminated you from a major tournament, can drive the monster out of rage on anyone. I prefer people to count to 10 and breathe a little before doing so, but as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone, do what you have to do.
How about you?
Kotakuit’s heavy, but what’s your idea? Have you gone through the mode of complete rage or has a serene life of meditation and contemplation dulled your lowest impulses? Say yours! We will be back next Monday to deliberate and debate on another absurd topic. See you in the comments!
.