Monster Hunter: A Cure for Game Rage?

See that evil looking monster above? His name is Deviljho.  Many a Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate player has learned a massive hatred for good old ‘Jho, but a few of us have learned to overcome that hate and defeat him.  Monster Hunter is a hard game, a game that can induce a common gamer problem we affectionately call “rage.”  Some gamers get angry when they experience an “unfair” death.  These can happen in Monster Hunter, but Monster Hunter can also help you overcome a rage problem, if you’re willing to try.

I used to have a problem with game rage, and to some extent I still do. However, with willpower, and a lot of Monster Hunter, I’ve come a long way towards overcoming my rage problem and as such I’m a much more pleasant gamer to be around.  The reason I recommend Monster Hunter is because the game is difficult, but it’s is also somewhat slow paced and fair about it.  You will die, everyone who plays dies every once in a while, but you’ll also learn to play better, and it will help you play other games better.  The trick with Monster Hunter is that you have to keep your eye on your foe, pay attention to their attacks, and be able to get out of the way when they do strike. Many monsters can kill you in 3 – 4 hits, and if you aren’t quick can sometimes hit you several times in succession. So, being out of the way is important.

The big part of it is that you can almost always see your foe’s attacks coming, and you’ll know where each monster’s hitbox is going to be, with relatively few exceptions. This helps you see where the damage is coming from, so you generally know what happened when you die. If a gamer with a rage problem comes into these fights with the right mindset, one intent on not raging, he can teach himself not to get mad every time he dies because he’ll be able to see what hit him and how he died, so he can stop it from happening next time. With such a mindset, and a lot of practice, you can help bring down your rage. Once you’ve learned practices to help with Monster Hunter rage, you can then begin applying them to other, faster paced games.  It’s a great help.

As a bit of a last word, there are a lot of hard games out there to choose from. The reason I use Monster Hunter over something like Dark Souls or Super Meat Boy is that Monster Hunter tends to give you visceral rewards for getting better at the game in the forms of weapon and armor crafting materials.  These are rewards for getting better and being able to defeat a monster that once troubled you. With the other games mentioned and most other games that pride themselves on being frustratingly difficult your only reward for getting better at the game is the ability to get farther in the level. Dark Souls, occasionally, will drop loot, but Monster Hunter always offers loot for victory. It’s a risk/reward system that really helps the players feel like they are making progress.

Do you guys have any other games that help with rage? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to stay tuned to GameSkinny for gaming news and culture.