5 Life Hacks for Gamers

Today, I experienced Asian racism. I was discriminated by a "Gamer" over the phone for not sounding like an "American." He told me "You sound Asian. You sound like you came from some unknown countries out there!" And then he told me to "f*** off.

Before we reached that part of the conversation, he opened up the conversation by narrating his earlier experience with one of our customer service agents, bad-mouthing her and calling her a liar. He said the agent was not helpful, and used her "power " by not giving in to his . And because she used her "power", the gamer said "Here in America, when you disagree with us, we cuss you. You deserve to be cussed." And then he asked, "Where are you from? Am sure you are not from here (America) because you don't sound like one." He said it again. I don't sound American enough.

I laughed when I heard what he said. don't know why I laughed. I laughed because he kept reiterating that he is an American? Or I laughed because he now gave me an idea that we, as customer service agents have power over him which I never thought of it that way. Or I laughed because he is right. I am not an American. I am Canadian. am a nice Canadian. am a Canadian who starts and ends a sentence with the word "sorry." When I step on your toes, I will say sorry. If you step on my toes, accidental or intentional, I will still say sorry.

My laughter irked the customer so much, he started hurling insulting words. He never stopped talking and kept going, and going like the rabbit in the Energizer battery advertisement. And when I got the chance to cut in, I told him "Does it matter that I don't sound American to you? Then I said, "Why so racist? I will not tolerate your insults, I have to end this call." I hung up. used my power to end the call. Well, he gave me the idea.

I am sweating, my pulse was racing so fast, my head was swirling, my heart was pounding, I thought it's going to explode. I can hear the "distress alarm" in my head, like a fire truck rushing to a burning building. tried to breathe. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. , exhale. Its not working. I drank water, almost finished the whole 500mg bottle of mineral water. The water helped quenched that fire building up inside me.

I was staring at the computer for a whole minute. Trying to compose myself. What happened? I was scared about what I felt thinking am I having a stroke? Somehow, I calmed down and started typing my resignation letter. A wave of relief enveloped me. Sent it to my boss who was on leave. He will read by Monday.

But this is not about that. This is all about you . We experienced verbal abuse from a of your troops. From my experience, I was called fatty b**ch, m*****r f*****r, pathetic, stupid, and some foul languages you invented for your own gaming pleasure. Some of our agents heard they should get fired, that they should not work anymore and do the cooking and the cleaning. Some of our agents were advised by they deserve to die. Wow.

I would like to share with on how to get that great orgasmic experience when you are conversing with a customer service agent. Forget about game rage. Using these helpful life-hacks will tip the balance for you, when we as customer service agents are on the fence if we should give in to your or not.

1. Be nice and respectful.

When you call us, you need our help. When you are frustrated about your gaming experience, do not vent out on us. Do not call us when you are experiencing game rage. Do not mention that you spent thousands of dollars on your gaming to get what you want. not say you have been a loyal gamer for years. not curse, cuss or swear. We document everything. The company reads all these notes. The company does not tolerate bad behavior. Thorough investigations are processed before they decide on what to do with your account. You can get in trouble when you insult us, or talk down to us. You can say goodbye to your gaming when you disrespect us. Remember, you have no power over us and vice-versa. We are equals here. You need us to help you with your gaming. We need you to keep us working. Do not say you are paying me, or I am trying to steal your money. That is absurd. Lastly, do not think we deserve your rage because it's our job. My job is to help fix your gaming issue, not fix your ego. I am not your therapist. No one, ever in one's lifetime deserves shabby treatment from you. No one deserves your rage.

2. Tell the truth.

Do not lie. We know how hours you already played the game. We know when you last played the game. know you behaved during your online gaming. know that its not your kids, nephews, and nieces who played that game and messed up your account. know that its not your debit card or credit card you used when you bought that game. know that you are trying to steal someone else's account. know the truth. Please do not lie. If you are a social engineer, get a life. You might have been successful in some of your dealings, but how can you sleep at night? You know that the universe has a funny way of getting back at you for all these wrongyou are doing, right? Don't push it.

3. Be ready.

Have all the information on hand before you call us, so we can give fast and easy transactions for you. For example, if you are requesting for a refund, make sure you have all the information. What item you want refund for? How much is the amount you want refunded? When did you buy it? Why do you want a refund? Do you have the receipt or order ID? Also, go to the website and read all the information needed about refund or cancellation policy. Knowledge is information. This way, you can avoid waiting in queue for hours to get to a live customer service agent. And one more tip; generally, companies give 2-week window to process a refund. Do not call us asking for a refund you purchased 2 years ago, a year ago, or 6 months ago. Do not blame us when your kid steals your money and buy all those COD points and V-bucks. We did not make the purchases. We did not play the game. are not the ones who stored all those on your account. all YOU.

4. Be open-minded.

When you talk to us, we offer solutions for you based on the issue you are having. We have different departments handling certain issues. We were trained for certain specific functions. For example, we have agents for refunds and account issues. We have agents for tech support and hardware services. We have agents for other miscellaneous issues that does not fall under account or tech support. Do not assume that one customer service agent can handle all your issues. I am not Neo. I am not "the one." If you were routed to us by the system, be open-minded that we have to transfer you to another department. Don't push your luck with me for I know nothing about technical issues. I know nothing about the physical console you ordered. you push the button, the elevator can go up and down with the same speed, same floor levels. You keep pushing me, we do not get anywhere. We are both wasting time and not solving your issues. Allow me to transfer you then it will be more productive for both of us.

5. Supervisors and Managers use the same system customer service agents are using.

Do not undermine us. Not because we denied your , means our supervisor or manager will do it for you. No, they won't. When we say we use the same system, we tell the truth. We use the same system. Like a computer app, it will not accept the information you provided us if it did not match what it has. This computer app decides if the information you provided matched what was stored in the system. You already waited an hour in queue to reach a customer service agent. Do not torture yourself by asking for a Supervisor or Manager for you have to wait for another hour or two to get to them. And then you get the same answer we already provided. I told you so.

I am a Gamer myself. But I do not let my games take over my life. I do not let game rage consume me. I get upset or frustrated of course when I lose. do cuss, curse or swear to myself. But I do not cuss, curse or swear online and it and send it as a message to another gamer. more to life than gaming. Try knitting or sewing. How about try reading or ? Too much gaming liquefies your brain cells. Ask your doctor.