u/Aftershk1 — reddlx

You see the statement all the time, especially on social media: "I'm not responsible for my opponent's fun." Obviously, this is true; you bought the game, and as long as you aren't using external programs to gain an in-game advantage your opponent is not provided with the tools to counter, you can play however the game is programmed to allow you to play. You have no moral or ethical obligation to put work into making sure your opponents, or any other player in the game but yourself, is having a good time.

However, I feel that way too many people in this community SAY, "I'm not responsible for my opponent's fun," but what they actually DO is put concerted effort into making SURE their opponent is NOT having fun. They create situations where their fun is dependent on the misery of either their opponent, or literally everyone else in the game. Hell, BHVR has ALREADY had to make two different changes to the game to prevent this kind of behavior:

adding the End Game Collapse in patch 2.7.0 to prevent Survivor players who, thanks to non-existent MMR accuracy, were matched with a Killer they're so out of the league of that they could finish all 5 gens, then spend as long as they wanted hiding from, or endlessly looping, the Killer, refusing to leave or even open the exit gates and letting the Killer player move on. Hell, they then had to allow the Killer player to open the exit gates, as well, since Survivor players who wanted to hold the Killer hostage as their plaything would refuse to even open the gates so End Game Collapse would start in the first place.
adding the Abandon system in patch 8.6.0, to assist Survivors who were matched with Killers who would purposefully slug all four Survivors, and then purposefully NOT hook them, letting them all bleed out even if nothing was preventing them from hooking.

While it isn't a 1 for 1 match, you could even argue the Go-Next Prevention system introduced in patch 9.0.0 was introduced to deal with these kinds of players, as go-nexters definitely ruin the game of at least their teammates, if not also the Killer player if they're the kind of player who actually wants a competition, and not an easy win handed to them.

This community has a major problem with tribalism, which, in the worst cases, leads to people wishing harm on other players, doxxing them, or harassing them out-of-game on social media or via messaging apps/console messaging systems. But even in cases not that extreme, the tribalism and "us vs. them" rhetoric leads to people seeing their opponents as enemies, rather than other people also playing the same game they are. They dehumanize and vilify the other player, treating them with disrespect, mocking them, and interpreting their actions as personal attacks. Even I have fallen victim to the latter, when I get upset due to my competitive nature and fear of failure, and begin interpreting Survivor actions as simple as standing still after dropping a pallet while they wait to see which direction I go, or until I commit to breaking the pallet, as mocking, as if they're saying, "I have zero fear of you, I don't see you as a threat in any way." I'll admit, I've had my moments where I've taken out my frustrations from a previous game where I definitely DID have opponents who were very clearly mocking me and taking full advantage of being matched against me inappropriately, and went harder than I would have otherwise on the next team, refusing to give them breathing room or pump the brakes when it was very clear they were now the side inappropriately matched against ME. I've never lowered myself to the level of BMing my opponents with actions designed to mock them or upset them (hits on hook beyond a single one to silence particularly jarring hook screams, W + Sing, purposefully refusing to hook even when nothing is preventing me from doing so), but I'm not completely free of guilt on this one.

At the end of the day, even if this isn't "a job" for many players, I feel we need to work harder to improve the ability for us to see our opponents as just that: opponents, in a game, with overall very clear victory conditions. Trying to win isn't a problem, but purposefully going into a game ready to dehumanize your opponent, who is a real person just like you (unless they're a bot, in which case go to town), so you can feel justified in performing actions against them that are purposefully designed to upset them, is. This isn't a "sport" for most of us, but we still should be aware of sportsmanship, and treating your opponent with respect. This game, obviously, has plenty of bad actors, and those who are literally children with underdeveloped brains, and those who act like children despite being old enough to know better, but we should strive to not lower ourselves to their level, and make it clear to them that they are the exception, not the rule, and they are not welcome in our community.