Backseat Gaming: What does it mean to backseat game?

The term backseat gaming comes from when those who aren’t playing a game tell others what to do or comment about it. For example, if a player has died in Valorant ^[1], but their teammate is alive, and they tell that teammate what to do and micromanage them, they’re backseat gaming. It’s worth noting that backseat gaming is not the same as giving callouts because the latter is only about passing information to the player rather than commanding them.

Backseat gaming isn’t only in competitive gaming but in all sorts of other types as well. If someone is playing a game, and a person is behind them in real life, telling them what to do, then that counts as backseat gaming as well. A streamer who’s always getting told by their chat about what they should do is also considered backseat gaming. 

How to deal with someone who is backseat gaming?

The first thing a person does is explicitly set their boundaries. They should tell those who are backseat gaming to stop. If that same one is still backseat gaming, despite the person stating that they’re uncomfortable with it, the best thing to do there is to block that person or mute them so that they stop.

However, this is only a short-term solution and only works on those who players find in online games. If someone they know and play with regularly does it, then that person should be taught how to stop doing it. Explain to them that giving callouts is giving information and that back seating is commanding someone else, which can end up very irritating.

References

1. [1] "official Valorant homepage". playvalorant.com. Retrieved August 06, 2024