How to Avoid Toxicity & Tilting Guide

Competitive Discussion
1

Method 1 – Way of the Lone Wolf
Step 1.) [Optional] Don’t Join Team Chat:
Turn off auto-join in sound settings to make it easy.

Step 2.) [Optional] Mute/Hide Everything Else:
The default social menu button is ‘O’. Press that then click the speaker icon next to their name to mute them — if you’re in team voice chat. If you click the message bubbles under channels, you can hide match and team text chat. If you click the message bubbles next to your teammates or the enemies, you can mute their voice lines — there’s no reason to hear the voice lines the enemy team spams, so I suggest to always mute them.

If you don’t know who was being toxic, you could just mute everyone. Then, you can still make callouts and encourage your teammates.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: If you join team chat, you can listen to callouts, learn from others, and make callouts — if you have a mic. Method 2 may take more time, but you’ll definitely win more games.

Method 2 – Way of the Pack Leader
Step 1.) A Technique with Many Names:
When people approach a situation with emotions, don’t react instinctively by speaking or using body language with the same emotion. Speak and act rationally. Speak relatively slow and try to think of each word before using it.

Note: This technique can also be used in life outside Overwatch.

Step 2.) Comfortable Sound Settings:
Having someone yell/scream in your ear at high volume is awful. So, sound settings need to be set for your specific headset or speaker setup.

The best way to go about this is to join a game browser Ult(imate) Gun Game with a friend. These games are very loud, and if Overwatch and your friend sound good in Ult Gun Game, your settings should be set well enough.

Note: If some people are still too loud, adjust your settings as needed. Don’t worry about being able to hear everyone. They can increase the volume on their end.

Step 3.) Sportsmanship/ Encouragement:
Start each game by encouraging your team and continue doing so throughout. This will help keep your team from getting toxic and tilting.

Sometimes all it takes for a comeback is one ult, one kill, one well-timed basic ability, or one word.

Step 4.) Mute the Toxic Person:
If push comes to shove, mute whoever is being toxic and won’t calm down. Refer to Step 2 in Method 1 for instructions on how to do this.

Step 5.) Let Loose & Have Fun with it:
Overwatch is a game. Have fun!

The developers have work to do on the match matchmaking system as well.
#Fix the SR System for Swapping Heroes below Diamond.

Note for the Dev Team:
This guide would benefit the community if it was embedded into Overwatch like the patch notes.

Note for the Commenters:
Thanks for the input in helping me make this guide better — especially Gazzor who deserves credit for Step 5 in Method 2.

7 Likes
2

I can do with this this.

I find that this helps as well:

  1. Realise that matchmaking is garbage and don’t take any losses personally. It’s only a game.

Even gms end up losing in gold or plat games.

5 Likes
3

I wouldn’t say garbage, but it could definitively be better. One of the movements I’ve been trying to start within the community is:

#Fix SR System for Swapping Heroes below Diamond

3 Likes
4

TL;DR

But here’s your answer; just quit.

2 Likes
5

Good things come with a cost sometimes. That cost is taking a little time to read in this situation

1 Like
6

My response wouldn’t matter whether I read what you said or not

Want to avoid toxicity? Quit the game. I gave you advice.

2 Likes
7

Or Turn off chat and turn the volume slider for voice down so you can’t hear anyone. Boom the game isn’t toxic.

5 Likes
9

The dev team does not monitor Competitive Discussion for feedback. (They theoretically monitor General Discussion, but in practice they don’t react much any more.)

They also, I’m sure, don’t take job applications through the forums.

3 Likes
10

I’ve seen them take interest in multiple threads on these forums, including the Competitive Discussion threads.

I’ve gone through their application process, I’m waiting for an interview invite, and this could even help if one of the developers see this thread.

2 Likes
11

Well those two really don’t even compare
In fact your analogy is downright bad. I see what you’re trying to do,

But it doesn’t work like that.

12

Their analogy was pretty good, and you give bad advice. Sure it’s advice, but it’s bad advice.

3 Likes
13

While I usually do the good old report, avoid and mute, an alternative is to literally destroy them so they never talk again.

Also step 2 is literally impossible - some people are so silent you couldnt hear them at 100% volume and others are so loud, they are still going to blow your ears out at 1% (overexaggerated) - dunno how, but somehow we still havent figured out how to implement voice normalisation into videogames.

1 Like
14

Ive found doing lots of shots before playing is a good alternative to all this.

1 Like
15

You forgot to mention Report, report, report.

16

ez, just dont join voice channels and play what you want, regardless of meta

1 Like
17

Just edited my guide and included your suggestions. Your suggestions are called, “The Dud’s Way.” Maybe read the whole thing next time.

Reporting and avoiding players may help you with future games, but it won’t help with the game you’re in.

“Destroying them” just makes the problem worse.

I just edited the guide to make myself perfectly clear for people like you.

That might be fun, but I’m sure that puts you off your game a bit.

1 Like
18

Use of alcohol to change your mood leads to addiction. Be careful.

1 Like
19

Oh, I did.
I just feel like if the options there, you should use it if you feel like talking to other people will spark ToXiCItY

1 Like
20

Best thing for me is to just remember that its only one game, you cant win them all so dont give up but put your concern and desire to win into the next game, as well as setting your expectations to rock bottom when the game isnt going well. That way you wil never be let down.

3 Likes
21

I suppose you’re somewhat right. I used to avoid toxicity by not joining voice chat. I renamed the method, “The Way of the Lone Wolf.” Try “The Way of the Pack Leader” if you want to win more games.

What about comebacks? You sell yourself and your team short from a bad period of time in the game. Less-experienced teams win all the time with positive communication and teamwork.

Sure, you say you don’t give up, but it sounds like your attitude in-game is that of someone who has already given up.

1 Like