Why is "GG EZ" considered toxic behaviour?

[JesusPlz]

I was talking with some friends in Discord, and we often mock people who are afraid of the phrase "GG EZ" when you get killed by enemy in-game, or when one team wins and that line is uttered.

I searched on Google two different keyword-combinations to try to find people like me who honestly don't care, and even find it an appropriate thing to say. Most of the threads are people who consider them assholes.

My eyes scrunch-up in confusion when I see people complaining like this. I don't even say "gg ez" myself in games, but I might have to now, just because people are so salty. Let's break it down: "Good game, easy." "GG" is both good sportsmanship, but mostly is an insult. But you're not calling someone a derogatory term. "Easy" just means "GIT GUD", and honestly, I know how much I suck in shooter games, and I have to improve if I ever want to stomp people.

I actually face-palm irl when I read about these complaints. I have actually slapped my forehead for real because it makes my head hurt less, or I go have a smoke to relieve the stress. I want someone to explain to me why "GG EZ" could be interpreted as toxic as "You suck, kill yourself", as an example of something that can actually be hurtful.

Are you able to go work/school the next day without feeling rage at someone who uttered this phrase? Can't you all check yourselves into your local mental hospital?

[Deleted]

In a competitive environment i'd consider it poor sportsmanship, wouldn't do it myself.

In a casual environment, do what you want.

That said, in most games where I can, I mute the enemy team, i'm there to win, not gloat.

[taliey]

Same question would apply to 'gg noobs.' Once you find the answer to that, you'll have found the answer to 'gg ez.'

[Leih]

"GG EZ" is like saying "No offence" followed by something that's obviously offensive. It's like "No offence, but you're shit at the game lol"

Prefacing an insult with the lie that it's not an insult, doesn't make it ok :P In any competitive environment it's considered pretty bad form to tell your opponent they were bad and you defeated them without effort, even if they know it. That's called gloating.

[Cosmic Janitor]

You belittle your opponent and negate the meaning of GG by adding a sarcastic spin to it with the easy part.
It's poor behaviour in a competitive enviroment. I don't think "kill yourself" is a valid interpretation, but neither is "you did well, I enjoyed the match".

[rad586]

"GG EZ" implies the enemy team was a band of pushovers who didn't even try to win or were really bad.

It's extremely frustrating to see it in chat when you've lost the match.

[Deleted]

I don't say anything. When I lose I'm pissed at myself for losing and I don't feel like saying GG to the opponents, and when I win, I don't feel like rubbing it in unless I noticed the other guy(s) trying to do a cheese or displaying toxic behaviour themselves, then I do feel like "IN YOUR FACE, BITCH!" and it feels satisfying.

For example I was playing For Honor on my Warlord and was doing 1v1s agains this whiny Warden. He was good but not THAT good, so he was losing. Everytime he died he was doing "wow!" in the chat (in For Honor, wow has many meanings but they revolve around "nice cheese", "your class is OP", etc), "teabagging", then he said "you won't win again", then it was a map with a spot you can push people off from and he went and just stood there waiting for me to come to him, I did come to him but you can only push after a block and he didn't get that block...I DID. Then he became a dung heap of swears.

See it's this kind of filth that I di enjoy saying GG EZ to them.

[JesusPlz]

"GG EZ" is like saying "No offence" followed by something that's obviously offensive. It's like "No offence, but you're shit at the game lol"

Prefacing an insult with the lie that it's not an insult, doesn't make it ok :P In any competitive environment it's considered pretty bad form to tell your opponent they were bad and you defeated them without effort, even if they know it. That's called gloating.

I'm trying to gain access to the psychology of you guys. I'll try another way: in Chivalry: Medieval Warfare, there is an endless debate on "feinting/dragging", which are actual game mechanics intentionally-designed by the devs, which they have no intent of removing, and even they lightly mock people who complain. One common retort is "I keep feinting until they learn how to counter it." Feinting is where you start to attack but press Q to stop in mid-swing, and enemy blocks before you launch your actual strike (blocks only last one-second, you can't sustain a block).

This is related to complaints about these "bad words", because these are exploits that make life difficult for new players, but it's not impossible to kill even an elite player, it's just more difficult. But there are people who want feinting and dragging removed so it's more n00b-friendly. Yeah, I said a bad word, grab your tissues.

You can mute chat if you want, but that should be the only action taken against players who say "gg ez". Competitive environments are...competitive. What you're suggesting almost falls into the category of making both teams win at the end of a match, because the losing team might have their feelings hurt by the fact that they lost. Losing sucks, but it's just a video game. This isn't the SuperBowl.

Yes, I know in true competitive matches, gaming gets serious...but complaints about "gg ez", and Blizzard censoring it in Overwatch - is the exact equivalent of banning touchdown dances in American Football matches, because that is a form of gloating, and could honestly hurt the feelings of the opposing team. Logic wins.

[Mendzia]

It is very disrespectful.
Easy means 'you were not worthly to play against me'.
EZ is even worse since 'i will use short version to show you how better i am'.

Do i think it is toxic behaviour? Uhmmm... not sure about that tbh.
Am i salty when my opponent say this? No. I do not care what does random person from the internetz think about me.

[JesusPlz]

Am i salty when my opponent say this? No. I do not care what does random person from the internetz think about me.

This is the most logical reply in this thread. I don't want you guys to agree with me, I just want to understand how it makes you feel in your brain, heart and gut. I want to know how this affects your ability to perform in a game. Does this weaken resolve for the next match? The entire history of competitive gaming - including chess, ping-pong, tennis - whichever sporting and competitive event - involves gloating by the winner. Of course, the winner and loser always (usually) shakes hands in the end, because that's good sportsmanship. But there is a lot of gloating prior.

Video games, the opponent isn't in front of you, he's far-far-away and it's TYPED WORDS. It doesn't even come close to the cyber-bullying faced by teenagers who have killed themselves as a result of mean words sent on Facebook. There have been arguments that it's so weak to kill yourself because of words said on your Facebook profile, but even I agree that Facebook users are people with real names and locations, and it is almost as bad as saying it to your face.

"GG EZ" and "GG N00BZ" doesn't come close to what these people have suffered. Game users are anonymous unless they don't safeguard their personal info, then it becomes an actual serious matter. But when we're all anonymous, what's the big deal?

[Bushtuckrman]

Back in my day we used to say 'woot' - We Owned the Other Team.

The new generation are the most softest. Surprised that people don't get virtual participation trophy's when the game ends.

[Leih]

You can mute chat if you want, but that should be the only action taken against players who say "gg ez". Competitive environments are...competitive. What you're suggesting almost falls into the category of making both teams win at the end of a match, because the losing team might have their feelings hurt by the fact that they lost. Losing sucks, but it's just a video game. This isn't the SuperBowl.

Not sure where you got that from what I said?

You seem to have an imaginary argument with yourself right now.

All I think is that if you're going to win, you should win graciously. Have some basic respect for your opponent and don't gloat and act like an asshole. The same applies to any competitive environment, it's just good manners.

Don't think I said anything about people shouldn't be able to lose or both sides should be equals or winners should be punished or anything like that. You've heard the term "being a bad loser"? There is such a thing as bad winners too. You can be a douchebag when you win if you want, it doesn't really bother me, but you asked why people might consider it toxic to gloat and insult the people you've just beaten... I think it's obviously bad sportsmanship, that's all.

[TheCount]

"GG" is fine by itself.
Its the "EZ" part that is toxic. Most of the time I find that people who do it generally had the least contribution for the winning team.

Why is it toxic? Its the implication that the other team did not stand a chance and that they got steamrolled. It does offend some people because in any pvp game, you are matching your skills/knowledge against another person and when you lose it can be disheartening. Add to that people who do that "GG EZ" or any sort of poor sportsmanship and it can cause them extra frustration. People who do it do not care about the anonymous part, the just want to cause that extra frustration.

Personally, I just do "GG"
If the other team has some douche with them that has spent half the game talking about how great he is then I' ll add something like "GG, try harder X"

[Sevarin]

if you actually have to ask a question like that, theres likely no way to actually explain it to you in a way that you could understand.

[Ulfric Trumpcloak]

Generation snowflake doesn't want their feeling hurt. Little do they know that's exactly how it works in the real world, except people talk behind your back instead of saying things to your face...

[Sanguinezor]

Is saying "GG. Bots are too EZ. See you in QP" toxic?

[JesusPlz]

I'll agree to one degree: I don't say it myself because of laziness. It's extra effort to type even those four letters, but "bad manners"? This is the INTERNET. This doesn't defend anonymous cowardly shit-talking and flame-baiting, but there are people who say the n-word in games, and I'm talking about the way rappers say it, even. Apart from the actual butthurt players who will report that to make their e-peen feel good, most people know that people say it in games as light-hearted and wouldn't say it in real life.

Any player in a real-life competitive activity knows it's bad sportsmanship to directly mock the opponent for losing, and that's the same as a person irl who would never go up to a black person and call them that derogatory term. It's not that we have "safety of the internet" to be bigots or "mean", it's gaming chat. It's not meant to be a civil discussion. Maybe you guys shouldn't pay attention to the chat, and make sure that when you respawn, you don't get killed EZ again?

[Leih]

Maybe you guys shouldn't pay attention to the chat, and make sure that when you respawn, you don't get killed EZ again?

Ah I get it. You're not here for a discussion, you're not here because you genuinely don't understand This is a bait thread and you're looking for noobs to try and make them butthurt?

Moving on...

[TheCount]

I think people in general need to get thicker skin. Don't put much stock into the opinion of some random person on the internet, street or wherever.
But it is bad sportsmanship, you just kinda have to get over it

[Lochton]

In a competitive environment i'd consider it poor sportsmanship, wouldn't do it myself.

In a casual environment, do what you want.

That said, in most games where I can, I mute the enemy team, i'm there to win, not gloat.

Hmm, I was about to comment in here, but Helden hit it quite well.