Gaming has a lot of jargon and/or slangs that professional or regular players are well versed with. They speak it like it is a language in its own right. This may be overwhelming for a fresher who has just begun his venture in the world of online gaming.
BM in gaming, is one such abbreviated slang meaning Bad Manners. It is a term used to describe intentional obnoxious behavior by a player in a game. Hearthstone is one such game where this term is used frequently.
Why is this term used?
Players use the term Bad Manners or BM when they want to frustrate or irritate the opponent, to gloat or revel in their victory. At times, they also o this to simply drag the game out and makes things inconvenient for the opponent as much as possible. This is done through the use of emotes and deliberate time-wasting or unnecessary actions
What are some of the forms of using BM’s?
BM is most commonly seen through the use of emotes. For example, players spam opponents with ‘Greetings’ messages while the opponent is bust thinking of his next move to distract him, especially when the resulting message appears mocking or resulting.
Another form is when BM is seen in the form of deliberate misplays. The general intention is to mock the opponent due to the nature of the game’s turns, to make them powerless to respond or prevent the player from taking whatever actions they wish.
It is also used by players to gloat and intimate their opponent. BM can also be used by losing players to aggravate the winner, and even to encourage them to concede the game. This way, they can weaken the overpowered player and win the game instead. The player doing this consider having an unfair and impossible advantage over their opponent.
The most common form of BM used by losing players is to take the maximum amount of time each turn, either by allowing the fuse to burn all the way down before ending the turn, or by allowing the fuse to burn itself out. This form of time-wasting is usually used to protest a sense of powerlessness, and to discourage the opponent from playing their current deck.
At the end of matches, BM is sometimes seen in the form of grandstanding, where the winner displays their killing blow in the most elaborate and unnecessarily complex manner possible. Cards may be played needlessly, random or even friendly targets attacked, and excessive force built for the most crushing possible defeat. This is often to demonstrate the winner’s power, their potential for overkill, or to aggravate the opponent by wasting time.
What is the attitude of playing using a BM?
The attitudes to BM in gaming by players may vary within communities. For some, it is a part of the game, similar to ‘trash talk,’ and to be expected from other players. Tournament casters may, therefore, glorify such behavior, considering it to be part of the hype and fun of the game. In other cases, when the level of BM reaches extremes, players may begin to feel it interferes excessively with the game itself. However, again opinions may be split concerning whether this is funny or annoying.
Some others consider BM as ‘gamesmanship’ spirit and a way of intimidating opponents. For some, this makes BM a valid and even laudable part of the game, while others may see this as distracting from the game itself and a way of using manipulation and bullying to defeat an opponent who is, in fact, superior at the game being played.
Some players may use BM in gaming to deliberately upset opponents, while for others, it is a form of nudging among friends. However, there are two sides to this: While the one using BM may perceive it to be a harmless and well-intentioned form of fun, the other may perceive it as aggression, gloating, or harassment.
These concerns over BM brought out the creation of the emote system, primarily designed to minimize harassment and prevent any negative experiences. This was also important in terms of increasing the accessibility of the game, especially to players who were not used to the often-aggressive environment of online gaming chat.
What are the uses of BM?
BM in gaming is commonly used for a range of purposes, ranging from friendly humor to intentional harassment. For this reason, it can be difficult to correctly ascertain the player’s intentions.
Many may use it as a competitive but a well-meaning manner, to express a jostling challenge to the opponent or apply a little extra pressure. This can be compared to the ‘trash talk’ often seen in non-electronic sports, which might be enjoyed even by friends during a friendly match. Players may use emotes to gloat a little over an impending victory, as they see their opponent search helplessly for ways to counter them.
While for some others, BM is a way to harass and genuinely intimidate the opponent or rub in their victory for personal gratification. Some players may also use it amicably, whereas some may use it to express aggressive or taunting behavior during matches, but will still tell a ‘Well played’ at the end of the game sincerely.
How do you counter a BM?
There is only one way to counter BMing through emotes: emotes can be easily disabled through the Squelch feature, just mouse over their portrait and right-click, then left-click the ‘Squelch’ option. The player will no longer receive any voluntary emotes from the opponent, or even know they are being made. This can be satisfying since the opponent will be unaware that you have Squelched them and so may continue to emote, believing their BM to be succeeding, when in fact, is being wholly prevented.
When it comes to a player who is deliberately misplaying or wasting time, there is little that can be done to prevent this, since each player is in control of their game. However, once it becomes clear that the opponent has the cards they need to win, or is simply wasting time, there is nothing one can do to stop the player from conceding and moving on quickly to another match.
A word of advice would be that it is easy to believe that the opponent has you beat when in fact, they are about to concede. Players should, therefore, strike a balance between not allowing the player to drag out the match, and not allowing the opponent to trick the player into conceding too early.
