How to Suppress Anger while Playing Games

Sometimes, playing games can make you feel angry and upset. This anger can be caused by the game content, not being able to overcome a difficult level or not being able to beat others. It will take some time for the anger to subside, but here are a few simple ways to help you control anger while playing games.

Table of Contents

Trying to Cool Down in the Moment of Anger

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Put the gamepad down. Surely you don’t want to ruin your gamepad just because of a minute of anger. Therefore, the first thing to do when you notice a feeling of anger is to gently put the handle down. You should also turn off your gaming device so that you can’t temporarily see images or listen to in-game noises that make you angry.

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Recognize expressions of anger. Your body will show anger, before you even realize that you are angry. Pay attention to your body’s expression. It is safe to say that you are angry if you have any of the following:

Muscle tension and jaw grinding
Headache or stomachache
Increase heart rate
Sudden sweating or shivering
Feeling dizzy

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Pause the game. If you’re feeling angry, you should stop playing the game for a while. Don’t let yourself come into contact with anything in the game that makes you angry. Do something else for a certain amount of time. Having a cool-down period will help you return to the game with a state of mind and you suddenly realize that you are more efficient at gaming. ^{[1] X Research Source} In another tantrum, if you need to calm down, you can:

Call a friend or meet in person
Cook yourself a meal or snack
Clean your room, kitchen or bathroom

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Go out. A change of atmosphere, going out to see the scenery is a great way to quickly regain composure. ^{[2] X Trusted Source American Psychpogical Association Go to Source}^{[3] X Research Source} For effective anger management, you should try to balance gaming time with other activities each day outside. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

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Do exercise. This is yet another good way to improve your mood. ^{[5] X Research Source} Exercising for about 5 minutes can make you happier. ^{[6] X Trusted Source American Psychpogical Association Go to the source} It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as your heart rate gets up and your body releases endorphins that make you feel better. ^{[7] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

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Deep breath. Anger can cause your heart rate to increase, your body to tremble, and your muscles to tense. You can take a few deep breaths so you don’t get too affected. You can also combine deep breathing and meditation to control your emotions. ^{[8] X Research Source} However, deep breathing alone had the same effect as meditating. ^{[9] X Trusted Source American Psychpogical Association Go to Source}

To practice deep breathing, count to 3 as you inhale. Then hold the breath in the lungs for the next 3 seconds and then count to 3 as you exhale. Try to focus only on counting when doing breathing exercises like this.
Make sure you inhale as hard as you can to fill your lungs with air, causing your chest and abdomen to rise. When exhaling should also breathe as hard as possible, then pause for a moment between this exhalation and the next inhalation.
Continue breathing until you feel you have contained your anger.

Find the Cause of Anger

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Remember why you play the game. Surely you play the game simply because you enjoy it. However, if playing a game makes you angry over and over again, it can be said that you no longer have that feeling of enjoyment.

If you get angry from time to time about the game you’re playing, think of a new hobby to replace the game for a while.
If you don’t feel happy at all, then you shouldn’t be involved in that game anymore.

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Play a less violent game. Playing or even just watching other people play violent games can make you more likely to become angry and aggressive, especially when you have no control over your anger. ^{[10] X Research Source} If you feel angry after playing or watching violent games, try switching to less violent games.

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Find out if you’re mad at not achieving something in the game. Not being able to overcome a difficult level or obstacle in the game can make you feel angry. ^{[11] X Research Source} Think carefully about why you get angry while playing and whether failing a level or getting killed in the game makes you feel that way.

To deal with this type of anger, try playing a game that you are already good at to enjoy the feeling of winning for a period of time. If you are allowed to choose the difficulty in the game, you should choose a lower difficulty to not feel angry anymore.

Discovering More Serious Problems

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Self-diagnose if you have a game addiction. Currently, although game addiction (or online gaming disorder) has not been officially diagnosed, it has begun to attract more attention. ^{[12] X Source of Research} If games or reactions to games begin to interfere with your daily life, you may have a game addiction. Dealing with addiction is important for a healthier mental life. You may already have a game addiction if you:

feeling angry, violent, or depressed when not playing games ^{[13] X Research Source}
secretly playing games and lying to others about the time spent playing games ^{[14] X Research Source}
find that games make you forget about other hobbies, lose interest in work or study ^{[15] X Research Source}
think playing games is more important than spending time with other people in real life ^{[16] X Research Source}

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Emotional control. You should control your own emotions, not let your emotions rule. If you find that your gaming anger is spontaneous and uncontrollable, you should learn to control your anger. You can consult a therapist or take an anger management course. It is likely that your anger will not only flare up during gaming, but also flare up in other areas of your life.

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Get help if your anger turns violent. You should ask someone else to show you how to control your anger if it makes you want to act violently towards others. You may need help in the following situations:

You think of harming yourself or others ^{[17] X Research Source}
You commit violent acts such as hitting people or things ^{[18] X Research Source}
This situation keeps happening again and again ^{[19] X Research Source}
Feeling indignant when playing games affects other aspects of life
Are you violent at work or aggressive toward a loved one ^{[20] X Research Source}
You feel stuck in life ^{[21] X Research Source}

Steps

Trying to Cool Down in the Moment of Anger

Find the Cause of Anger

Discovering More Serious Problems

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