Gaming Browser Opera GX’s ‘Anger Controllers’ Draw Attention to the Very Real Issue of Gamer Rage
Losing your temper while gaming isn’t just the stuff of memes, it's a pressing issue that many of us struggle with while playing video games. A recent Opera GX survey found that more than two thirds of gamers (65% UK, 69% US) get angry when they lose, while even more (85% UK, 83% US) become irate if lag, or a poor internet connection ruins their game. And when Gamer Rage strikes, they usually take out their frustrations on the things they truly love most: their gear. In fact, one in five UK gamers (19%) and one in three US gamers (29%) admit to having destroyed their gaming accessories – keyboards, mouses, controllers – in fits of frustration.
To highlight these issues, Opera GX teamed up with Madrid-based agency Officer & Gentleman to launch Anger Controllers: An imaginary set of super durable gaming peripherals that can withstand even the most extreme bouts of rage. In the satirical promotional video, voiced by Halo announcer Jeff Steitzer, the truth behind the fictional products is finally revealed when one of the characters breaks the fourth wall to ask: “Wouldn’t it be easier if we could learn to control our anger instead?”
According to Javi Iñiguez de Onzoño, executive creative director at Officer & Gentleman: “Gamer Rage is a very real issue in the gaming community, and Anger Controllers are Opera Gx’s way of starting an open and honest conversation about something that affects not just the gamers themselves, but those around them.”
But the Anger Controllers are just a small part of a much larger effort by Opera GX to tackle the issue. In addition to releasing their first “Rage Report” with key data on US and UK gamers’ daily frustrations, the brand has teamed up with Dr Alok Kanojia, also known as Dr. K.—a Harvard-trained psychiatrist and leading gaming mental health advocate. Together, they’ll present tips that will help gamers keep their anger in check and manage their frustrations associated with gaming. Dr. K. will also be joined by popular streamer Cr1TiKaL in a discussion about gamers’ mental wellness that will be streamed in GX Corner on June 6th here.
The scale of gamers’ frustrations is extensive: Most gamers have either struggled with their own anger issues, or felt the wrath of other stressed out players. For example, almost two thirds of respondents (73% UK, 74% US) have had to reflect on their own angry outbursts in the past, while the negative attitudes of other players has made half of respondents (46% UK, 49% US) feel down at times. Moreover, 18% of UK and 32% of US respondents revealed they had been bullied while gaming, while a quarter of UK gamers (25%) and a third of US gamers (38%) said their own aggressive comments had ruined the atmosphere.
