Online gaming platforms have taken the use of abusive or vulgar language very seriously in the last few years.
With this seriousness comes all sorts of punishments for those who don’t toe the line, including semi and permanent bans from the game.
While some people may argue that these bans are too harsh, others will say they’re not enough.
If you have gloated at a particularly good headshot or dropped what you thought was a funny one-liner, chances are you’ve been met with the other player dropping a “BM†into the chat.
With this in mind, we’ll be discussing what the term “BM†means in the gaming community.
So What Does “BM†Mean In Gaming?
In simple terms, BM is an acronym that means “Bad Manners.”
It’s used as a derogatory term for someone who has done something wrong.
For example, if you were playing Counter Strike: Global Offensive and you killed your teammate by accident, it would be considered bad manners to drop a “BM†into their chat box.
On the other hand, if you were playing Overwatch and you killed the enemy team’s Reinhardt while they were trying to kill your team’s Reinhardt, it wouldn’t be considered bad manners to do so.
The reason why this is important is that there is no universal definition of the word “BMâ€. There’s also a large gray area in terms of when it’s appropriate to use “BMâ€.
Some people consider it to mean anything from using profanity to being rude to another person.
Others believe that it can only refer to killing teammates.
The truth is that it depends on which game you play and how you feel about the situation.
The sad fact is that the BM card is pulled out far more than it should be. Oftentimes you’ll be faced with the BM card for even the slightest of infractions, most of which could be considered fair play.
What Instances Should You Use BM?
Considering the above, when is it acceptable to use BM in gaming?
There are times when it might be appropriate to use BM, but these are also dependent on the context of what has happened in the game.
Let’s take a look at some examples.
1. Killing Your Own Teammates
Friendly fire is never really acceptable, as it usually brings the team’s stats down, not to mention the frustration it causes in the process. We’d say that in nearly all instances of friendly fire, dropping BM in the chat is acceptable.
2. Gloating About A Victory
This is another example of something that isn’t really acceptable. As much as no one likes a sore loser, the same is true of arrogant winners.
3. Being Rude To Another Player
Being rude to another player is always unacceptable. This includes things like insulting them, making fun of their name, etc. It’s just plain disrespectful. This sort of behavior online was almost a given, especially in the early days of online gaming.
4. Using Profanities
Profanity is never okay. Even if you think you’re being clever, it’s still inappropriate. This one is closely related to the one above as being rude to someone usually goes hand in hand with using profanities.
5. Spamming Chat
Spamming chat is also unacceptable. If you’re constantly spamming chat with random messages, then it’s time to stop.
6. Not Congratulating An Opponent For Winning
As mentioned in number 2, no one likes a sore loser. Being able to accept defeat graciously is an important part of sports and esports.
Which Games Usually Have The Most BM?
As you might expect, nearly all competitive games have BM being thrown around a lot.
This does a number of things to the term BM and the situations it’s used in. Overusing the term means that, over time, it becomes devalued.
This overuse also means that situations where it should be used become trivial, when in fact it could be a serious infringement of the game’s rules or any of the above instances.
There are some games where the term is overused during sessions, these include but are not limited to:
What Can You Do About Bad Manners And “BM†In The Chat?
In genuine instances where a player is behaving inappropriately, there are only a few things you can do in game.
Our advice would be to mute the player.
It might be tempting to argue back, but this won’t really solve the issue and for the sake of your own enjoyment of the game it rarely leads to a positive outcome.
If the player persists despite being muted, or we’re talking about more serious instances of bad behavior, reporting the player might be your only option.
Wrapping Up
We hope that this article gives you a better understanding of what BM actually means and how it relates to different aspects of gaming.
The next time you hear the word BM, try to understand why it’s being used and how it applies to the situation at hand. More often than not you’ll notice that it wasn’t called for.
Hopefully, after reading this article, you’ll be able to make an informed decision regarding whether you want to use the term yourself. Despite its overuse, there are genuine instances where it’s warranted to use “BMâ€.
My name is Ashley Newby and I want to put integrity back into esports and get the hype surrounding them paramount once more. During my teenage years, I happened to stumble across a Street Fighter tournament online and I was hooked.
From that day, I have kept up with and watched many tournaments including Valorant, Super Smash Bros, and League of Legends. I even got to compete in my first one earlier this year!
