The Video Games Industry is now the fastest growing entertainment medium in the world. Long gone are the days of prejudiced ignorance and silly stereotypes; gaming is now as much part of everyday life as watching TV or listening to your iPod. Like it or love it, the emergence of the Wii (and its subsequent popularity) saw video games reach new heights, with people of all ages getting in on the action. 2012 saw the release of some of the best games of all time. Games such as Journey, NBA2K13 and Halo 4 as well as the sensational The Walking Dead meant gamers of all tastes were blessed with some tremendous games. The Wii U has shown some decent potential for the coming years and with the promise of the next gen Xbox and Ps4 coming in 2013 as well as a host of stellar games, it's never been a better time to be a gamer. But while this article might indeed seem like a serenade of all things great in the world of video games, an uglier side of gaming is growing in dominance year by year. As more and more gamers enter the virtual world, so too do bullies and abusers who want nothing more than to shout obscenities and generally ruin the experience for others. While some online communities are actually helpful and friendly - a topic I will cover in a future article, most are verbal battlegrounds where only the most thick skinned can prevail. Here are gaming's 7 worst online communities.
7. Halo (Xbox 360)
Whether you love or hate the franchise, Halo 4 is an excellent addition to the series. Oh sure, it's not without its faults and while I hate some of the more Call of Duty inspired decisions 343 studios have taken, it was still one of my favorite games of 2012. Too bad then that the community is quickly becoming a horrible cesspool of online degenerates. Halo 4 is the fastest paced game in the series. The unlimited sprint and quicker gun play has attracted a huge bulk of Call Of Duty players and while Microsoft will be glad of the financial benefits, fans have been left annoyed with the overly aggressive online community. Spawn abusers, vehicle spammers and teabagging 2.0. It's all there and worse than ever. But perhaps the worst offense is the players that don't play the objective in objective based game modes. Previous developer, Bungie, prided itself on the teamwork aspect of Halo and this has been completely lost in Halo 4. Hopefully the implementation of the MLG playlist will recapture it.