What does tryhard mean exactly?
Well, when I've used the term tryhard I usually referenced players which are taking the game way too seriously and act like their life depends on it. That is a completely opinion based thing though, as I am playing games like DotA entirely for fun. If I meet a player in a public, unranked queue that wants to try out advanced tactics he has seen watching pro matches, I tend to think "what a tryhard", while others who take the game more serious than I do would appreciate that motivation the player is showing.
To summarize: tryhards are players who take the game more serious than I (or someone else) do. Obviously that is opinion based and I'd count it as an insult, therefore I am not using the term tryhard in general.
A Tryhard is a person who puts too much effort into winning a game - he is "trying too hard".
Of cource that term is highly subjective, but here are some ideas of where the concept comes from:
- People usually play games for recreation
- People enjoy games they either are winning, or at least have a chance of winning
- Effort is usually not conductive to recreation
=> If a player puts forth unusual ammount of effort, he "forces" other players to keep up with him if they want to have a chance of winning, thus reducing their enjoyment of the game.
The highly subjective measure of how much effort exactly is too much, makes this term unsuitable to actually describe behavior in gaming.
This pattern isn't exclusive to Video Gaming either, and I think most people will have expirienced something similiar during their playground days at least once ("Hey! Hiding indoors doesn't count!").
The big difference is, that in the real world you have to communicate through such a problem if you want to continue playing. Online Video games have a large enough player pool that you can just "rage quit" until you find an agreeable matchup.
It should also be mentioned, that this term is often "abused" to mitigate the pain of loosing a match.
e.g. "I only lost this match because the other player was tryharding so much!"
The term is a criticism both in and outside of gaming.
In terms of gaming, I hear the term "tryhard" or "try-hard" most commonly in the following context:
When playing in a non-ranked online game mode where one player is accused of playing competitively (as if in a ranked game). Such actions may be frowned upon or not expected for games that offer ranked and more relaxed non-ranked game modes.
It is often a parting-shot or excuse for a loss. For example, player A beats player B, so player B responds by calling player A a "try-hard".
Of course, accusations are easy to make when one player simply loses to another. However, there can be truth in the matter when, for example, a player always uses the "best" loadout, guns, team, strategies, perks, character etc (depending on the game) in non-ranked games.
I don't really hear it in ranked games, but I guess the same principles could still apply. In ranked games, it can also mean that the player can only win with the best loadout/setup, and is therefore more of a taunt (in the hope that loadout/setup is changed).
I have heard the term in several Street Fighter titles, Call of Duty (of course) and Dota. I haven't heard it in FIFA, surprisingly. Regardless, the meaning seems pretty universal across different games.
I would suggest the following definitions, but these are based on my own experiences:
noun
someone who is perceived to doing all they can to win
"you won because you are a tryhard"
"what a tryhard!"adjective
perceived to only want to win
"he is a tryhard player"
"that is such a tryhard loadout"
In gaming the term doesn't appear to be used in the same manner as the general term. Outside gaming it is used to describe someone who tries harder than required.
This definition is found in the English Wiktionary:
(derogatory) A person usually of little talent who tries hard, especially through imitation, to succeed, usually to gain fame or popularity.
Additional sources:
League of Legends discussion
Call of Duty Black Ops Gamefaq