Tryhards, Slouches, and the Seemly Gamer

In the gaming community, the term “tryhard” is a source of contention: while some gamers use it as a pejorative against players seen as putting too much effort into the game, other gamers argue that effort is a good thing, and those who use the term “tryhard” as an insult are simply sore losers. This chapter argues that the term “tryhard” can pick out a legitimate and unique kind of ethical failing in the attitude one takes toward an activity and thus constitutes a vice. We define tryhardedness as a vice of excess, where one takes an activity more seriously than it should be taken, and examine its corresponding virtue (seemliness) and vice of deficiency (slouchiness). Ultimately, this chapter argues that the gamers’ concept of “tryhard” informs us about the good life more generally: the vice of tryhardedness extends beyond gaming, and being a tryhard (or a slouch) is something one ought to avoid in all of life’s activities.