Online Game Trolls -- what's the psychology?

[Bullgrit]

Last night I was playing some Team Fortress 2. One server I got on had a guy spamming the chat with inane stuff. Nothing vulgar, nothing mean, or anything like that. Just constant stream of useless spam in all caps. I mentally tuned it out, but it was persistent.

Then someone initiated a vote to kick the player. Everyone voted yes, but before the vote took effect, the player changed his name to my name. (Apparently that prevented him from getting kicked by the vote program.) He then started spamming the chat as me, acting as though I was upset that he had taken my name. Again, nothing rude, just persistent.

I said in chat, "After this, the real Bullgrit will not post anything in chat." Then he goes on with surprise that someone is able to chat with his name. Blah, blah, blah. "He's not Bullgrit! I"m the real Bullgrit!"

The only other thing going on in chat was people calmly trying to figure out how to kick him and not me (an innocent bystander). So I said, "The real Bullgrit is leaving." And I disconnected from the server.

Now, for the record, I was not personally upset by this. It was stupid, and me leaving the [completely random] server only cost me one button click and maybe 20 seconds to connect to another random server. I've seen far worse trolls in online games. Far, far worse. I'm only mentioning this instance because it just happened, so it's the most recent example.

I often wonder what is the psychological issue that causes someone to troll like that? Someone whose only purpose for the evening, apparently, is to annoy other people -- people who are just looking to have some light fun on a Saturday night. And then, of course, there are those who go further than just annoying someone -- those who get vulgar and mean. I often wonder, are these people truly pathetic in real life, or are they just normal people in real life and turn terrible with the anonymity and audience of an online game. Do trolls get actual satisfaction or enjoyment out of trolling? How does their brain light up?

Have there been any scientific/medical/psychological studies into this? Is there any hard information on what makes an online troll do his thing?

Bullgrit.

 

[Morrus]

The thought of online gaming trolls has kept me from ever even trying an online game like that. I'm sure it's not as bad as it sounds, but from what I hear it's not for me.

 

[Bullgrit]

The thought of online gaming trolls has kept me from ever even trying an online game like that. I'm sure it's not as bad as it sounds, but from what I hear it's not for me.

Read more: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showth...me-Trolls-what-s-the-psychology#ixzz3eMpG3UFJ

I've been playing TF2 for several weeks, now, and I can say that 99% of the games I've been in have been without any trolls/jerks. I found only one server, (again, random), that was just chock full of vulgar trolls (chat, names, etc.).

I have given up a few other games in the past, (CounterStrike, one of the CoD titles), because of the crap. I imagine some trolls would smile at the thought that they bothered someone enough to drive them away from a game, but really, two things:

1. I don't *need* the game to be happy in my life. I don't miss the games, with a tear in my eye, "oh, if only I could play it." I had to think real hard, just now, to even remember which games I "gave up."

2. They'd be happy to drive people away from a game they need people to play?

Funny anecdote:

A few days ago, again in TF2, there was a guy on voice chat giving a running commentary on the game. He was polite, clear, and generally helpful. He praised people when they did well -- he praised me on my sticky bomb placement But it started to wear on me after a while, and I asked how to mute voice comm. That same guy explained how to mute him. Like I said, he was very nice and helpful. Just too much extra sound for my needs.

Bullgrit

 

[Umbran]

Have there been any scientific/medical/psychological studies into this? Is there any hard information on what makes an online troll do his thing?

Why yes, there have!

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blo...rolls-are-narcissists-psychopaths-and-sadists


"Let's start by getting our definitions straight: An Internet troll is someone who comes into a discussion and posts comments designed to upset or disrupt the conversation. Often, in fact, it seems like there is no real purpose behind their comments except to upset everyone else involved. Trolls will lie, exaggerate, and offend to get a response.

What kind of person would do this? Some Canadian researchers decided to find out.

They conducted two online studies with over 1,200 people, giving personality tests to each subject along with a survey about their Internet commenting behavior. They were looking for evidence that linked trolling with the "Dark Tetrad" of personality traits: narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism.

They found that Dark Tetrad scores were highest among people who said trolling was their favorite Internet activity."

So, basically, they troll because they're big freakin' jerks who get their jollies upsetting people.

 

[Bullgrit]

Is this personality an actual psychological ailment? Can trolling be stopped with medication? Are these people trollish/sadistic in their real life interpersonal interactions? Or can/do they hide it offline?

We all like to think of these people as pathetic losers living in their parents' basement and trolling after they get home from their menial jobs. But is that an accurate image of an internet troll? Are some trolls happy people with satisfying careers, loving families, and generally good lives who just squeeze out a little more enjoyment for themselves by trying to torture strangers online?

Do they know they are jerks? Would outing them hurt them back in any way?

Bullgrit

 

[Umbran]

Is this personality an actual psychological ailment?

That's a matter of degree, as I understand it. Everyone has some measure of these traits. At a certain level, they can even help you be a good leader.

A "psychological ailment" is what you get when the trait seriously gets in the way of reasonable function in society. So, if they limit their jerkitude to occasional online trolling, it probably doesn't count as an ailment. If they honestly cannot resist, or bring that behavior into their daily lives, that's probably an ailment.

Can trolling be stopped with medication?

There is no magic "now you won't troll" pill, if that's what you mean. medication is usually one of the last things you attempt when dealing with psychological issues, because the side effects of most such meds are complex and unpredictable. You usually start with counselling and therapy, and that is generally going to require a desire to change on the part of the jerk.

I'll give you three guesses as to whether such people think there's a problem with themselves such that they seek counselling.

Are some trolls happy people with satisfying careers, loving families, and generally good lives who just squeeze out a little more enjoyment for themselves by trying to torture strangers online?

I'm sure there are some of that sort. They are still, scientifically speaking, jackholes.

Do they know they are jerks?

They know they are upsetting you, if that's what you mean. They are actively seeking to upset you. But, they don't respect your opinion on whether they *should* upset you. So, they know you think they are a jerk, but your thoughts on the matter aren't relevant to them.

Would outing them hurt them back in any way?

Hurting them back is returning pain for pain, and I'm not sure that keeps a moral high ground.

Instead we might ask, "Would outing them reduce their ability to continue trolling?"

If they take their trolling to the point of crossing a legal line, then yes - outing them allows the legal system to be come involved, and some folks have been set with court orders that they cannot participate in online discussions. I believe some folks have gone to jail over it.

Short of something legally actionable? Probably not.

 

[amerigoV]

What kind of person would do this? Some Canadian researchers

I decided to stop reading right there. It made the post more entertaining. I could just see rows and rows of Canadians out there trolling and recording the responses.

 

[GMMichael]

Best guess: with more and more people drawing air, it's much easier to feel alone. The reason: diminishing returns. You can only get so much benefit out of having people around, and we have passed the point where each person can make their maximum contribution. Now, each new person contributes less to society than he could, or would like to.

The result is that some people, due to their unique personalities and development, get very little meaningful attention. Where to find attention without getting punched in the face? The Internet.

 

[KirayaTiDrekan]

Something I noticed when I was a community coordinator for WotC - drunk posting. Folks who normally aren't too bad getting online while intoxicated or high or whatever and making fools of themselves. I imagine it happens in online games fairly frequently as well (like Morrus, I don't play online games specifically because I don't want to deal with trolls).

It strikes me as the same sort of behavior as prank calling - my dad used to get drunk and call random people in the phone book.

 

[Ryujin]

The internet trolls I've met, in real life, have ranged from apparently well adjusted to people who seemed to have stopped mentally maturing some time in their mid teen years. Some of my friends say that such people are simply blowing off a little steam in anonymity. My theory runs more along that of Oscar Wilde; "Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth." Or, to quote Brother Silence from "The Gamers: Dorkness Rising", "Only in concealing one's identity, can one truly be known. (Whatcha!)"

I've also noticed an odd behaviour in message board trolls. The majority of those I've had to deal with seem to have being kicked off the board as their goal, stating that they don't care if they do or not. They then sign up with another account, only to start the whole thing over again. Some particularly Machiavellian buggers actually operate several separate 'sock puppet' accounts and, on occasion, even have arguments with themselves.