Gaming

This is it here. There's multiple factors, and they all swirl into the drain of PvP/competition

• Rank ego. This rank means ME BETTER ME GOODER ME SUPERIOR YOU TRASH

• Skill variances and/or bad matchmaking. There's no hope/no challenge. Feels bad unless you're a Timmy Stomper.

• 1 or more guaranteed losers. Why waste 2 hours (MOBA theoretical) with strangers only for it to be horrible after 40 minutes, but the game holds you hostage in a hot box with at least 5 other people who want you dead and don't like you, and it only gets more irritating as time goes on? Feels bad to lose baseline, and little games do anything to massage the ego.

• Pride. People get that MUST WIN MUST WIN mentality, and when they win? It's arrogance. When they lose, it's JUST A GAME BRO CHILL BRO IT'S NOT GETTING YOU PAID OR LAID BRO. Toxicity.

• Status. Not rank! This is more along the MMO line of work. You have glowing flamescalibur+19, and it's peak item. You'll automically breed those who like it, and of course - toxic haters. Being ahead is something real people get toxic about when they're not ahead. Jobs, finances, and of course games lol.

Co-op dodges most of these hurdles, but even my beloved Monster Hunter has DPS parsing elitist dungheads. Thank God the game can be played solo. Pub experience was horrible and not even for carting's sake.