Okay, time to move on to the other aspect of sportsmanship: Conduct.
While my statements in the previous article about fairness were - I hope - objective and comprehensible we are entering now more controversial territory, discussing conduct, attitude and respect.
This does concern the way people play the game as well as how they treat each other.
People playing a pub game are basically trying to have an enjoyable time. Many want to do so with a certain degree of competitiveness, while others simply want to enjoy a more loosely way of playing or even simply want to goof around (which is fine as long as this is accepted by the majority of the people on the server).
Since people have gotten together as a group (albeit often rather by coincidence than by intention) every single person on that server should try to play and conduct himself in a way which adds to the overall fun and enjoyment of all people on the server.
This should include a minimum level of respect and a non-offensive attitude, no harassing and ridiculing of lesser skilled or even new players, displaying some dignity in face of winning as well as losing a match and – of course – refraining from acts of lame behavior and tactics.
It’s that last point where this will be getting interesting for some people: Don’t use lame tactics.
And just as a reminder (as if I hadn’t said it already, but people tend to mix up things when they shouldn’t): I’m talking about pub games! Clan matches are a different matter, though I assume even in clan matches there are limits to what’s acceptable and tactics which are frowned upon.
But in pub games the overall fun should weigh more than the victory (which is fleeting anyhow), so while people should by all means play properly and striving to win they should do so without using lame tactics.
So what do I consider “lame tactics”? Respawn Camping immediately comes to mind. Turtling on a CTF map (Going all-D either from the beginning or after having made a leading cap). Another quite common lame attitude is building sentries in or around enemy bases with the sole intention to get easy kills and mess with people when there are only few players on the server (where it’s rather easy to accomplish that and much harder for the enemy team to deal with).
Just beyond that is a large grey area of tactics and attitude which might be lame depending on the circumstances, like chasing or clan members dominating a pub server as a group.
Of course the inevitable counter-argument always goes along the lines that all these were “valid tactics” used to “stall or distract the enemy” and since this is a competitive game people could - and should - do “whatever it takes to win”.
What a piece of crap!
If the only way you can win a game is by relying on cheap tactics or other lame behavior then you just haven’t tried hard enough. If you can only win by trapping a team inside its respawn you are avoiding the challenge to defeat them in a proper way. Not only does it show a lack of character but also exposes a lack of skill or a lack of determination to work hard enough for a victory. If you want to embrace that state of disgrace, go ahead. Just do me the favour, look for likeminded people and find a server where you can stay amongst yourselves. Don’t contaminate the rest of the (server-)world with your poor attitude.
In the end, as I’ve already stated above, winning in a pub game is secondary. There is no lasting glory to be found in a victory, it won’t be written down for posterity, your stupid killscore is gone once the next map starts. [1]
What matters is having a good game. But not only you. Not only one team. A good game deserves to be called that way when everybody [2] can walk away from the match with the feeling that it was fun, that both sides tried and the better team has won.
I know that it’s not that simple on occasion. Sometimes you might feel that your team just didn’t try hard enough. Made some stupid mistakes. Sometimes frustration creeps in, perhaps even to a degree which leads you to ragequit. All that happens, and anger and frustration are understandable (we are all just human, after all). However, it doesn’t justify using lame tactics, to be a sore loser, to start spouting insults and profanity. If you feel you are not able to enjoy a game, retain your dignity and leave. Try another server or return on another day.
And trust me: Sportsmanship is actually able to improve the atmosphere of the game. Conduct and a certain degree of respect make the mood on a server so much more enjoyable. And the more people are striving for this – a little here, a bit there – the more even a mediocre game can turn into an experience from which you can walk away thinking it was okay. Thinking, it was not a waste of time. Which is actually quite valuable, since you’ve invested some time in it. [3]
Some of the younger players may not believe this. Some of the more competitive players just won’t care. Some of the stupid players are probably beyond hope. But for the rest of us: Each of us can try to make a pub game a bit more enjoyable for everyone (which includes ourselves). Throw in more teamplay and chances are good to experience some decent games. Or even good games. The sky is the limit 
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