Breakfast Topic: It was lag, I swear!
by Josh Rose 
Dec 24th 2010 at 8:00AM
Lag is probably the single most common excuse for mistakes in all internet gaming. From the beginning of the big craze of first person shooters to now, mistakes are chalked up to lag. The expressions change from: "Oh sorry, you didn't get a heal? I lagged real bad!" to "Oh, I had a huge lag spike!" -- even expletive-laced shouts at the lag itself, as if you could personify bad latency. This happens in PUGs, guild runs, and even just friend and family groups.
The question is how often are people actually lagging versus how often is it merely an excuse, because no one else can prove you did not lag. The truth is, it is not always lag -- but sometimes it is. I have went on expletive-laced tirades when I disconnect during a boss fight or see that horrible thing when my entire action bar is lit up with queued spells but I am not moving. However, if you actually make a mistake that is your fault, I am a big proponent of taking credit for and owning it. If you blame lag or someone else every time you make an actual mistake instead of taking ownership of your shortcomings, you never learn from them. Admitting you used an ill-timed spell, moved into the fire, or just got caught up in your rotation and had a lapse of attention allows you to learn and grow from your mistakes (and hopefully never make them again).
Do you ever use lag as an excuse when it was a personal mistake? Is it a common go-to excuse you use often? Or do you believe in admitting your mistakes and trying to get better from them?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Zalvi24 Dec 24th 2010 8:03AM
yes lag is the hardest boss in WoW
Rubitard Dec 24th 2010 8:27AM
I don't know. That Aldor Rise elevator still gives me nightmares.
Camaris Dec 24th 2010 12:16PM
Aldor Elevator had nothing on his heroic counterpart: Serpentshrine Elevator. He was brutal.
tenaciousmonkey Dec 25th 2010 11:17PM
I've seen a few souls die to the Elevator boss in Throne of Tides, sometimes same person multiple times.
Wulfkin Dec 24th 2010 8:05AM
I have used the lag excuse on occasion, but I always felt bad about it. Nowadays I simply own up to my mistakes. People are usually understanding that no-one is perfect, my guildies especially. The only ones who are not tend to be random jerks in a PuG, and quite frankly, sod em.
Anathemys Dec 24th 2010 9:37AM
When I used to mainly DPS, I would blame the occasional mistake on lag. It didn't happen very often. Plus, my computer was, frankly, a piece of crap. But now that I'm a healer and my little tiny mistakes can end up killing (at the least) four people, not including myself... Now I own up to it. And I'm proud to say that I don't have to own up to anything very often :)
Also, I got a new computer. Before, I justified it by saying that my computer really is crap, but I feel kinda bad if I do that with my new computer. Which glows. It doesn't have lights or anything, it's supreme awesomeness just seems iridescent in the darkness.
vocenoctum Dec 24th 2010 3:43PM
"Damnit healer, why did he die!"
"because incoming damage exceeded his available health"
chris_p_y Dec 24th 2010 8:09AM
I sometimes get lag spikes during arena matches and it can sometimes directly cause a loss. The same occurs when im raiding like 1 lag spike every 30 mins or something, luckily i usually raid on my warlock which is a dps so hopefully 1 quick lag spike is not a ticket to a wipe.
However you can tell that some people are not sure or plain just dont beileve you when you say you lagged and that can suck, but thats what i get for not having a stable connection.
Also IMO there are certain times when you know that someone else is using lag as an excuse, when they probably didnt. but that probably comes from knowing them if it is a guildy and knowing what sort of player they are. E.g is they are the back stabbing elitist idiot type then you can sometimes tell they are lying.
Sorry my post wasnt as interesting but i got a lag spike and couldnt write it properly. Not my fault. blame the healers. qq. :)
Billlop Dec 24th 2010 8:17AM
To be frank, if you admit to your mistake with the WoW community, you get kicked form the raid/instance and abused forever. So...yeah
Stza Dec 24th 2010 8:30AM
thank you Frank
fedorhajdu Dec 24th 2010 9:47AM
That's not true. I almost never PuG, but even when I do, I usually say "sorry guys I fucked this one up, won't happen again"
I've never been kicked after that as long as I don't repeat the same mistake. If I do repeat it (and I play a tank, so my mistakes are usually wipes), then of course I deserve to be kicked.
Also, as for lag excuse, if I'm really lagging I say in vent that I am so my group can handle my errors before they happen (say have a different tank taunt, priest life grip me out of bad things etc).
Katsuya Kaiba Dec 24th 2010 12:21PM
I was healing on a new priest, got into Shadowfang with a 'tank' who had no shield, none of his talent points placed, and was in several greys and whites. He admitted he was new to the game, confused on what to do. It seemed like he was asked to play by a friend and his friend pretty much left him stranded in the 'wild' so to speak.
We didn't kick him, or yell at him. We spent time explaining to him why he couldn't tank and we kept him on as DPS.
Fluph Dec 24th 2010 8:24AM
Lag is online gamings version of getting a Doctor's certificate. Everyone suspects you're lying, but neither your boss nor the doctor can prove (nor do they want to attempt to) whether or not you have the runs.
I tanked WotLK so I just blamed the healer for everything. Now I'm healing Cata I blame EVERYONE.
Especially Ghostcrawler.
Anathemys Dec 24th 2010 9:38AM
Normally, I'd be mad at someone who blames healers. But it's fine, because I blamed tanks :)
Fluph Dec 24th 2010 9:43AM
I think we can all agree it's definitely the DPS' fault in this xpac.
Julien Dec 24th 2010 3:02PM
@Fluph
Oh, how the tables have turned!
razion Dec 24th 2010 8:27AM
I'm saddened to say I'm one of the few who can't attribute any worthwhile experiences to lag--I just don't get it. I attribute this to chewing out our Internet Service Provider on a regular basis after doing the regular speed and latency tests.
I've seen other people lag out, however. They tend to run in place for half a second, and then a full second later they're half-way down the hall leaving blood-oozing corpses behind them. . . or are one. Either/or, really.
SlimPickens42 Dec 24th 2010 8:37AM
I've, on occasion, blamed lag during late night raids or dungeon runs. Most of the time, if you're not moving out of the fire, nobody can tell the difference between lag and falling asleep at the keyboard.
Zippö Dec 24th 2010 8:41AM
lag 's not an excuse, it's a problem.
actually, i just hate people standing in fire, be it for lags or not...and i don't even heal cata...yet.
Orrdeath Dec 24th 2010 9:03AM
Maybe if you just play with Jerks. I myself play with a guild of friends, where there is some understanding about screwing up or when lag happens. If you just going to pug your probably going to get Jerks more often.
So if your a half decent player and person there is probably a guild out there for you. But if your not a half decent person your probably a jerk and will be left to pug groups, raids, rated bg's, ect.
I play the game for fun, when the fun aspect fades you have to remove the cause, ie. if you find jerks in pugs, don't pug. If you cant find a guild, don't be a jerk. Simple logic really. It should all work out. There are 12 million ish players out there they cant all be waiting to cut you down when you stand in the fire. Unless it's your 5th death from fire.......