Q&A - Why Do Team Fortress 2 Bot Hosters Host Bots?

I was asked by a friend to explain why the bot hosters of Team Fortress 2 do what they do. So, I dug through the recesses of my brain, a bit of psychological searching on the internet, and came up with my best answer, which I wrote up and slapped together in just under an hour. This is the vocal recording of the answer.
00:00 - Why I'm Talking
01:11 - Why The Bot Hosters Host Bots?
01:55 - Historical Context: The Cheat Codes Of Old
06:24 - The Modern Perception of Curiosity
13:00 - The Narcissism of LULZ & Trolls
18:53 - Phase 1: Sadism
19:53 - Phase 2: Sociopathy
20:07 - Phase 3: Machiavellianism
23:08 - Side Note: "They Who Must Not Be Named"
25:10 - Conclusion
27:21 - Outro to the Outro
Petition: save.tf
FixTF2 Discord server: / discord
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#militarysnake

[@military_snake]

15:50 - I imply here that the spirit of seeking reactivity and curiosity is something that people get "too old" for, and I'd like to clarify: you are too old, after a certain point, to seek reactivity for reactivity's sake PARTICULARLY from people. There's nothing wrong with taking apart a computer, figuring out how it works, and trying to put it back together, but at that point the desire for reactivity is coupled so strongly with the desire of wondering how the computer actually works, that if you were asked, "why are you doing this?" you would respond with "I want to know how it works." THAT spirit of curiosity is something that should be cultivated and kept in the soul forever. But pushing people's buttons for the sake of pushing people's buttons, knowing it goes nowhere positive, and being okay with that? No, that is never a good thing, EVER. Hope that clears that little part up :)

[@the_neuron]

What if you were a shut in for 20 years and have to learn how to opparate in socoaty for the first time?

[@moistmarsupial3528]

"Some folks is just evil, ain't no point in trying to explain it." -Arthur Morgan

[@military_snake]

very, very few

[@WrathfulCrane10]

@@military_snake and most of them are tf2 bot hosters

[@FranchoMTR]

they are bot hosting because they want the attention that their parents diden't gave to them

[@systemhalodark]

TLDW: They peaked in high school.

[@military_snake]

hopefully they peak later in life, when they grow up

[@64_three]

nah they peaked in elementary school

[@soryforbadenglesh2550]

​@@military_snake they are irredeemable, they should get life behind bars lol

[@military_snake]

@soryforbadenglesh2550 I won't go that far. I refuse to believe that there's that many people who are irredeemable. are there that many who actively resist the truth? yes. but I hope that, at some point, that changes.

[@LordSiravant]

Some of the smaller ones are just trolls doing things for the lulz. But the bigger bot hosters are definitely what I would call malicious people who derive pleasure from the misery of others and find contentment in spreading that misery. Some people might go so far as to call that "evil", but more of a petty, low-tier sort of evil without greater ambitions.

[@exocept1998]

They tried to get someone killed by making a bomb threat to their school using their name. Not some petty nuisance anymore.

[@military_snake]

I actually learned from a directly connected source that, though they hated that guy, they never did it. it was a lone cheater that impersonated somebody else. it's hard to tell, considering how limited the info really is

[@MovesLikeMegalosaurus]

I think it's somewhat worth mentioning that the resources and loops that bot hosters have to go through in order to keep bots online and having them avoid VAC is enough proof that it's probably something more than just simple internet trolling. The amount of resources that are required to maintain and operate ~94 bots or so is a bit of an economic hole, we've seen Chinese CS2 bot farms that take up an entire room full of computers to run ~40 or so bots. Not mentioning the occasional updating of code in order to bypass the rare (yet, atleast a short time after release) effective bot updates that come out. A simple internet troll would've given up after realizing that 20 bots are too much of a hassle to keep running 24 hours, and that the cost of operating them wasn't worth the negative attention from the community of a nearly 2 decade old game.

[@military_snake]

agreed! and then those "simple" trolls would make fun of the hosters for wasting their time hosting, just like they make fun of people who stick with an "old outdated game"

[@yaaqelo]

It's far easier to host TF2 bots than CS2 ones by using virtual machines and tf2 textversion. In any case, these are sad people that shouldn't be given attention.

[@military_snake]

@@yaaqelo i ain't gonna ignore the problem, matey

[@yaaqelo]

@@military_snake I didn't mean completely ignoring the problem. VAC is really what should be addressed, shitty people will always exist and generally don't deserve attention. You do you though

[@dark_mage2]

I was under the impression that there was some form of economic advantage to this kind of thing. TF2 was made free-to-play which removed one obstacle, with the marketplace and item trading for real money and prestige providing an incentive. Though I have not touched TF2 in a long time, I thought the only 'free' way to acquire more items was to have multiple accounts playing games for random drops, which is where I thought bots came in. Perhaps over time the bot situation evolved towards something more malicious, or out of some kind of grudge or resentment against TF2 itself and its players, but in regards to trolling and sadism, it seems far simpler and with a far greater reach to spread toxicity on social media instead of wasting time with a game.

[@Froshly]

This video has gotta blow tf up dude this is great

[@military_snake]

thank you so much!! share it around with other tf2 players if you'd like, I'd greatly appreciate it :)

[@shitpostnetwork404]

First of all, thanks for fleshing out this carefully scripted vlog, and I'd say this was one of the most thought provoking videos i saw in a while. Your reminder of being civilized when writing comments, is encouraging for people like myself who are shy upon sharing thoughts. Watching it from start to end has enlightened me upon things I was not aware of. Addressing the bot-cheater crisis and the potential psychological reasons behind, can indeed invite us to have a sort of empathetic reflection.

[@military_snake]

absolutely! thanks for the high praise :) exactly! I used to be like most in the community who thought there was no mercy for these people. now, after studying their conversational tactics, mannerisms, and their minds throughout it all, they just appear like broken children. as one who's trying to marry and have children of his own, it's quite the lesson on potential things to NOT do when raising them.

[@TheOneAndOnlyCatfish.]

Honestly this behavior of theirs resembles addiction, as we've seen with voice-spam bots some people are willing to put themselves into a worse state of life just to get a rise out of people. It takes up so much of their life and I almost feel bad for them and the state their in. Almost, as they're not willing to get help for their addiction, and i think that sucks, for us, but for the bot-hosters most of all.

[@military_snake]

truly

[@CheatersAreLame]

I've had run ins with particular bot hosters such as Sydney and Cowhook and I make videos about cheaters so those that are curious can be somewhat more educated on how to spot and deal with cheaters. For a while I was in one of the semi-major cheater servers and they would just talk about doxxing people and what gamemode each of them were going to be putting their bots in today. They know that they have no place in internet society so they themselves have to bring that society down with them. This video was a very good explanation of their mentality and this is why there isn't really much we, as players, can do to stop them. They need help they are never going to get and since there are no "adults" (valve) around to stop them, it festers continually until the whole (fixtf2) makes an outcry for help.

[@military_snake]

couldn't have said it better myself! i also had the opportunity to interview a bot hoster recently; part of a major video i'll be releasing soon, but it was an hour forty-five of just talking about the nuance of it all. it's sooooo interesting.

[@CheatersAreLame]

I try my best to stay away from the bot hosters because they are a particularly unhinged bunch, some of the cheaters I've posted about are their friends, I was worried that Sydney was going to try to give me the Max Box treatment for a hot minute. Will be looking forward to your mega video because I align much more like you, wanting to see the nuance of both sides and such.

[@JaxonElzinga]

Sydney is a pretty funny guy. He streamsnipes losers.

[@exocept1998]

@@military_snake why even consider them worth talking to? it's done to death and they're all a bunch of pathetic wannabe murderers

[@Whenwhereeverywhere]

@@JaxonElzingaso himself?

[@alexrexaros9837]

They get reactions from saying things like "Its a 20 year old game, move on". A sort of nihilistic outlook on gaming and activities in general that is especially prevalent in regards to TF2. I've seen this sort of behaviour on 4chan, and some of their associated forums as well. They don't cheat, or at least most of them don't. But they essentially say that shit to get a rise out of people who take their hobby at heart. Proof of this is that, if you reply rationally, they will say some very virulent thing about your statement and resort to name calling. Playing TF2 IS a hobby. This mentality of "Old thing bad, move on" is very much anchored in video game culture and nowhere else. Because a system/game is old, you must move on from it like companies do. Deriving from, I believe, the memories of the console wars which has now been mostly silenced because of the samey-samey feeling of every console in terms of capacities. But now people apply these to the games solely. And the reason why TF2 is victim of that kind of mentality is because of two things; 1 - Valve shat the bed with MYM, which diminished their interest in it (As Chet Fal confessed). 2 - Because of a lack of development, nihilism arrises because the community feels as though they are abandoned by Valve. 3 - TF2 Players are, on average, very easy to rile up. They have a sense of candid optimism fueled by the imagery of their "glorious past" and nostalgia. Trolls get a fucking field day out of that. So now they streamline cheating because its easy to do. Because it makes people angry and they see the playerbase as pathetic for keeping on playing. Its basic sociopathic troll behaviour. Justifying their mentality as mere cheap fun. But imagine, the very same trolls trying to disrupt the flowing of games like Golf, Soccer or Basketball. These games have been around for ages, and yet people still play them outside. What's the point of telling people to stop? Yes I know they're not video games. But in my eyes, it's the same thing.

[@military_snake]

agreed on every point, particularly the last one. this is a HUGE point in the mega video I'm making, and it just might be a video of its own, because there's just that much to talk about.

[@commscan314]

Chess has been around for over a millennium and has evolved constantly into the game it is today alongside many variants. Chess is almost two orders of magnitude older than TF2 and YET STILL HAS A LARGER PLAYERBASE. "Old therefore bad" would turn someone into a laughingstock when uttered to any other community.

[@sorrydudebros]

As another 4chan user who has used it to talk about #FixTF2, accurate. They're allergic to rational thinking and discussion, it's only about bringing you down to their level by seeing you try to debate them. Eerie how people optimize every conversation, every action to be as annoying as possible

[@lotion5238]

I think Valve should consider reverted a few of the changes from MYM. Allow alltalk to be voted for, and can be opted out of in the settings. Give people back the ability to swap teams during a game except during certain times (about to end a round etc). Just admitting their mistake and promising to resolve the big problems it caused would instantly make them more respectable.

[@shitpostazzi]

wonderful analysis, you really hit every spot on why bot hosters do what they do.

[@LordChevonlier]

What's interesting is the standoff between players and bot hosts. Hosting consumes capital (time, processing power, money, etc.). If players don't exist, no one would care and hosts would only be hurting themselves. If the bots didn't exist I'm sure the tf2 community would come back. It's a standoff between who gives less of shit. The hosts care about wasting their capital and the players care about the game. Will the hosts stop because it hurts them or will the players stop because they don't care to play anymore. But you can't kill off a game that's withstood decades of play and you can't stop hosts without stopping the players. The only thing I'm thinking is that bot hosting is just irrational and the people who do it are just evil.

[@xChillDudex]

I wasnt expecting an extremely detailed conversation like this but you put it together really well and have good evidence to back what youre saying up. Love how you mentioned growing up watching kids develop as your experience on the topic. You earned a sub. Also extremely based you talked about religion without fear.

[@military_snake]

thank you very much!!

[@sorrydudebros]

Surprisingly educational video, I thought a lot about human curiosity a few days ago and how it drives us to do exactly what we're told we aren't supposed to do, but I didn't realize all of cheating (in non-competitive settings, at least) could really be summed up just like that. Good work

[@military_snake]

thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!!

[@D-N-0]

i love how he politely calls them dumb kids, lol

[@bitterman213]

We can pick the game Niko Bellic, but we cannot change the rules.

[@military_snake]

that's a reference to something, I'm sure, but i'm unfamiliar

[@bitterman213]

@@military_snake you should play GTA IV :)

[@tankfire20]

15:13 Broo, that's exactly why during the leafyisdikhead era everyone was saying Kay Why Ess but wouldn't say it IRL. Because it's the epitome (at the time) of the maximum possible egregiousness people could think of at the time that wasn't possible over the board. Obviously there's small friend groups that use it amongst themselves. But it's rarely ever taken out of the friend group because it's such an awful thing to say. 19:00 wow just in time.

[@D-N-0]

the fuck is Kay Why Ess?

[@plasticold2167]

Very interesting and well-thought out take. I recognize a lot of these patterns from certain imageboard and forum trolls I had the misfortune of interacting with back in the day. This sort of unaccountability that breeds more and more sociopathic behavior. Suddenly you don't mind saying the most outrageous crap that would get you punched IRL, suddenly you don't mind doxxing people for daring to call you out and throw shade at you, suddenly you're spamming text walls of deranged babble on purpose, commissioning extremely degenerate rule 34 to spam, scamming said artists you're commissioning from and bragging about it while also blaming other people for it, trying your absolute damndest to destroy this small niche community you once joined in earnest, because you want to be the one who took it down, you want to be the boogeyman. All while trying to seem like you're one of the guys, like you're not all bad, you're just having a bit of fun after all. Because you also want people to be stupid enough to play devil's advocate for you. I don't miss dealing with those people. At all.

[@military_snake]

"it's just a prank, bro." "we do a little trolling"

[@The_TableSpoon]

we got a surfer

[@military_snake]

wat

[@The_TableSpoon]

@@military_snake i was making a joke of how all surfers have long hair

[@military_snake]

ooooh lol

[@OgBeastyBoy41905]

@@The_TableSpoon I'm a surfer as well

[@bongo104]

​@@OgBeastyBoy41905 are you the guy i play tf2 with? lol

[@griffinschmunk7512]

This man is spitting factual statements right out of his mouth hole. Specifically regarding the development and change of the human brain

[@military_snake]

thank ye kindly, sirrah

[@griffinschmunk7512]

@military_snake additionally, when you mention depression for those that do it for attention, this harms individuals who actually suffer for depression by enforcing insecurities as they do not want to be grouped with "them".

[@military_snake]

i made it very clear, i thought, that they are two distinct groups. if i didn't, let the record show here that for those who ARE in actual depression, you have my sympathy. i've simply had too many bad experiences with fake "depressed" people, so i admit to some mild skepticism towards them.

[@Homerboy44]

I remember the days where "trolling" was mostly just mischievous pranks, silly posts, and stupid comments for simple laughs. Some people simply don't get the rules of pranking. There is a line between "trolling" and straight up harassment, where it's actually targeting innocent people by causing legitimate problems for their own sick amusement. It's not even funny at this point. These bot hosters aren't trolls at all. They're losers who have nothing better to do. I am glad they're being banned. Honestly, the days of "classic" trolling are still there, it's just not in the main spotlight anymore. It's too bad that some people forget that and will resort to stealing it. Edit: Forgot to add something for the first bit, and added another paragraph.

[@military_snake]

me too

[@shitpostazzi]

bro really did an entire sociological analysis on why people troll/bait/cheat/host bots, and was right on everything. You really gave the complete answer of a question I always asked myself these years of people hosting troll bots who would do everything to provoke players. Thank you!

[@military_snake]

you're very welcome! I'm glad people still enjoy deep dives lol

[@MrBallL0L]

This is a good video, it gave me a better idea how these trolls and whatnots work Thank you

[@military_snake]

you're welcome! thank YOU for watching!

[@5JSX5]

I love how in-depth you went with this, I might enjoy listening to that large essay if you ever make a video about it.

[@military_snake]

thanks!!

[@YaboiFoxTale]

Super cool video, you seem like a super cool guy, and the humble common sense you exude tickles my brain. Subbed!

[@military_snake]

thank you very much for the sub and the compliments! means a lot :)

[@revoltaiignoto3881]

You have a great future as essayist! Very insightful take.

[@military_snake]

thank you very much!

[@Piece-Of-Time]

(You look awesome)I think it is just their way to have fun. I remember reading the book named "Filth", main hero here was enjoying every bad thing he did. I don't know is it right to compare simple bot hosters to pure evil, but maybe they just also have fun like this, at least in this game

[@military_snake]

it's a pretty twisted view of fun, man. there's a whole 'nother philosophy talk about just that.

[@icecowsun]

hi, i know a few and i've asked them this and im 90% sure it boils down to its funny seeing peoples reactions

[@military_snake]

i've heard that testimony too. this is the "digging deeper" as to WHY they'd find those reactions funny. stuff always operates on a higher psychological level, even if the "subjects" themselves are completely unaware of it. you'd be amazed how unconsciously your brain operates at high levels.

[@icecowsun]

@@military_snake thats probably true but again, from what i've heard its just for fun

[@snake_eater1963]

this is great. now i'm looking forward to the big essay.

[@military_snake]

i'm glad! (also your name, snake eater?? you'd better not try eating ME. i'm a military snake, after all!) there might be one more video to "tease" the release of the major video, as the script has begun writing itself again and has evolved into something EVEN LARGER than before!! for the same of upload frequency, I'll probably release something within the coming days explaining yet another paradigm I wish to discuss in more detail.

[@snake_eater1963]

@@military_snake sounds like it's coming together well, i'm a big fan of this well spoken type of content lol. (don't worry, i won't eat you. but if i wanted to... i wouldn't tell you.)

[@RedTaylorsVersionTF2]

Great video. Though I do want to mention that the hosters have also tried to kinda sugar coat it with the idea of hating cheaters. One hoster has said that they started because Valve has refused to do anything to cheaters specifically since 2014 and that they want to be like their own hero alongside wanting to piss off the "Legits" because of the NSFW and other unethical and just down bad awful content that they spread. Of course, this is hypocritical and is incorrect but I feel like that could make a great video idea as a sequel or something.

[@military_snake]

it's a key point in the mega-essay I'm making. I'll definitely address this as clearly as I can then!

[@odl3144]

really good video! I’m surprised you don’t have more subs!

[@military_snake]

thanks!!

[@animewolfOtakuwolf]

A bit late but, this vid should be titled "TF2 Bot Hosters: A Socio-Psychological analysis"

[@vooshoos]

Great intrigue into your thought process on the what where and why of bots! Honestly surprised I got to recommend this video though, cheers.

[@military_snake]

Glad you enjoyed it! I hope my future videos on the matter will be of the same caliber of quality!

[@CalvinLol777]

Dude ignore all the hate you get, this is an amazingly fleshed out video with tons of great points and a lot of info! Honestly, good job with this! It’s nice to see an actual in depth look at cheaters instead of a 8 minute video with a few misc topics!

[@military_snake]

thanks so much!! it's comments like yours that keep me goin' :)

[@LuigiStar31]

damn this video is hella good i had to sub bro

[@military_snake]

thanks!!

[@DinkyKnag]

Very interesting video, honestly very thought provoking, and kept me engaged for a lot of the video. My favorite part was a t 11:01, very insightful.

[@DinkyKnag]

But honestly i admire the mentality to let that stay while knowing it wouldnt detract from the overall message.

[@military_snake]

lol truly the best part of the video thanks, though! yeah i just figured staying as raw as possible would maintain the genuine nature of the speech, hence keeping the stutters in. kinda replicates talking in real life, raw and from the heart (or as much as it can be when using a script as a reference)

[@John-jc5hw]

oh yeah thats my favorite part too!

[@officialpoppyperson]

Great video! I enjoyed the more clinical take of this script.

[@military_snake]

thank you!

[@imslippykid8834]

this was honestly perfect ❤

[@military_snake]

thank you!!

[@DrunkSoupCan]

very interesting watch, good take

[@military_snake]

thanks!

[@commscan314]

I do a similar thing to what you did with monopoly with chess, where I have Stockfish play against itself in my opening repertoire (Most often the King's and Vienna Gambits, but also stuff like the Bishop's Opening, French and Tarrasch Defences) to see what the optimal play is. Of course this is entirely for line analysis and effectively expanding my mental opening book, not actual employment in games.

[@military_snake]

ye my brother does that too. he'll fight himself to figure out what he does wrong and even run simulations

[@commscan314]

@@military_snake I think that everyone does so for analytical purposes as an approximation of perfect play, now that computers play far better than humans at everything.

[@SMarie-zk9oj]

Honestly, some of them are really just sad, lost people, for example leadscale, a bot hoster who does what she does solely because she likes the misery of others and wants the game to die. In a sense, non of the bot hosters are evil, that’s to grand a title, they are just sad people, who can’t find happiness in themselves without making another person miserable, and I fear what will happen once the game is boycotted, they’ll either find the joy in being kind, or will continue a path of mental decay that will leave them more miserable than the people they annoyed ever were.

[@military_snake]

it's difficult to say. such malicious intent that goes unpunished for too long tends to never heal. then again, all they do is scoff at the very concept of being broken. they'd just call ME crazy

[@totalNERD-eo7wx]

9:22 Ok, ok... so let little Timmy drink the Windex, that'll do better in the long run...

[@military_snake]

NOOOOOO WAIT

[@denifnaf5874]

Trying to be civil and respectfull while explaining why bot hosters host bots Because they have no loved ones

[@military_snake]

I mean, if you're gonna put it THAT way...

[@denifnaf5874]

@@military_snake by that i meant noone loves them

[@Iwidelyoutliveeverything]

russian moment

[@zepzep4423]

Such a great video. As an autistic person with the tendency to always conceptualise things as narrow cases of the more vast picture, this is exactly the type of content/style of commentary i'm hungry for on youtube

[@military_snake]

well, down the road soon, there'll be a LOT of that type of thing, so I hope you stick around for it! thanks for watching :)

[@BunnyNotFound]

This is probably the most common idea of why they do it, just explained it that actually gives us the top and bottom of it. Great, thanks. Like, you explained it in a way that also gives us an answer to why anybody would want to be evil. No questions left unanswered. From here on out it's just about reading about every unique case and seeing where they fit in. Like you said, trolling has become this diluted term that is both applicable to some buffoon who posts provocative messages on discord and online script kiddies, ergo bot hosters, which begs to be deserving of its own term because labelling something that is between a misdemeanor and cyberterrorism just "trolling" doesn't communicate the severity really well. Or I suppose it could just be me thinking that virtual equivalent of vandalism is more serious than the real thing. I'm tired of it going unpunished and treated like it's nothing.

[@FranchoMTR]

they are bot hosting because they want the attention that their parents diden't gave to them

[@military_snake]

maybe

[@endythecat8409]

I have been blessed by youtube reccomendations and watched a man spit out facts for almost half a hour

[@military_snake]

:D

[@endythecat8409]

@@military_snake keep doin' what you're doin' mate!

[@fadedgames1]

Oh god please turn off the salty chicken's texture filtering.

[@military_snake]

the...what? lol are you referring to my poor camera quality? because I'm afraid that's as good as it gets for me

[@fadedgames1]

@@military_snake It's in the settings of your gzdoom settings.

[@military_snake]

@@fadedgames1 oh.... but i like my settings

[@Armolitskiy]

@@military_snake if you like to play vanilla doom why play gzdoom then? use prboom+ or DSDAdoom

[@fadedgames1]

@@military_snake Think about your viewers' eyes!

[@John-jc5hw]

11:00 oh yeaahh brother let it ALL out!!

[@military_snake]

this is the third comment on the burp lmao

[@John-jc5hw]

@@military_snake mhm, and WE ALL LOVE IT

[@loganthepelican1368]

Great video and very underrated overall. Do you think it is also because they want a sense of control in something because of their mundane life even if it means to ruin a game for everyone?

[@military_snake]

now THIS is quite the good point! had i thought of this, i'd probably have added 5 more minutes to the video! it kinda ties in with the whole point i made about how "neglectful parents" cause children to have ambiguous, if not void, moral compasses. thus, of course, they feel as though they have no control over their lives because no adult figure was there to teach them how to properly control the situation. there's no parent to be there to comfort and instruct the kid if they're bullied, and thus they BECOME the bully because their brain doesn't know what to do. so what does it do? it defaults to the primal instinct: survival of the fittest. clearly, the bullies are the fittest because they show the most dominance in the surrounding areas. so in turn, the cheater bot hosters BECOME the bullies by controlling the situation with an iron fist. in a sense, the only people who aren't affected by the bot crisis are the botters themselves, for they ARE the cause. I could talk more about it, but there's SOOOOOOO much there. still, an excellent point, thank you very much for bringing it up!!

[@rickydo6572]

I'm poor and work my ass off to make a living, I live in a poor country that's becoming worse to live in each day. Playing Team Fortress 2 is one of the few things I do to distract myself from all this shit, and there's people out there investing time money and resources to ruin the one fucking thing I like. I can only wish the worse for these vermin, anything they have done to them, no matter how terrible, is justified and right.

[@military_snake]

I understand the sentiment, my friend. but I cannot condone violence towards them. I have learned that some, SOME, are just like you, and some are just like me. I side with you on the second paragraph, but there's gotta be better ways than resorting to unbridled rage

[@me67galaxylife]

thumbnail says it all

[@user-zl4sb7qm4d]

Praise Valve the heretics purged.

[@military_snake]

for now, for now. hopefully it continues!

[@damsen978]

25:11 There, saved you 25 minutes.

[@military_snake]

well, that's not very nice! what about my retention charts? muh algorithm??

[@gloriousblobber9647]

@@military_snake I love the internet!!!

[@benjaminkeigans809]

I mean this as respectfully as can be managed in a youtube comment: this sounds like an essay from high school. I not sure this is even a criticism.

[@military_snake]

HAHA you're right about that! I guess I never did change my writing style very much, thanks for noticin'!

[@wooblydooblygod3857]

@@military_snake personally I think you should lessen the analogies, like a child drinking windex or whatever, they don’t add much especially when repeating and just pad the wording. But if that’s your thing ig do it. Just feels needless to me.

[@quinnmcmurtrie8022]

Come to think of it, one of my teachers was a machivellinist.

[@military_snake]

W H O A

[@quinnmcmurtrie8022]

@@military_snake I don't know honestly. I guess he just hated me. My parents and friends keep telling me to not go and serve him justice.

[@smugay]

nice hair dude

[@military_snake]

thenk

[@tronical7276]

Bro refrenced the fall of man

[@military_snake]

it all ties together, stay with me now

[@kaidusplatinum987]

Fix TF2

[@military_snake]

#FixTF2

[@TheTdw2000]

I've always maintained that those who do things like host bots or cheat in online games are simply broken people. Just a blatant disregard for their fellow human beings. Sure it's "just a game" but that's really the only thing stopping these people from doing bad things in the real world - that they have this outlet that requires minimal effort and invokes minimal risk. The same psyche in other circumstances becomes animal abusers, serial killers, rapists, etc. They're not the kind of people you should ever trust IRL to not screw you over. I guess we should be grateful that they're "only" ruining a game for people just trying to play it. I mean it's still a really bad thing to do, but at least they're confining it to a game?

[@military_snake]

I pray that you're correct in that it's only confined to a game. if it wasn't, I'd be quite worried

[@houragents5490]

This video was made with extreme asbergian detail

[@military_snake]

thank you

[@Labyrinth6000]

Valve, if you're gonna make a new multiplayer game right now, you need to give us a GOOD reason for us to have faith in that you can maintain the game, because I am absolutely NOT seeing it with your neglect with TF2. If you cannot fix a bot issue in a 17 year old game, WHAT ON EARTH are you gonna do when bots come to Deadlock????

[@military_snake]

yup. and double that for CS2 also. they're still not fixing THAT bot crisis, either, and that's on a much larger scale

[@Labyrinth6000]

@@military_snake True that! Edited a few things on my post.

[@AgrimarYT]

Can only hope Valve treats it like TF2 so it can last 17 years, saying as this is a bad take with bad logic, it would better to say how long the bot issue has been around for vs development support of the game, which as an argument will only get better as time moves forward. TF2 has already been going far past its prime and with or without the bots the player base is a shell of its former self; for relevance on social media and such, the bots are probably the best thing to happen (sort of) for the game. CS2 itself has systems in place actively working against cheaters (and bots if there are any), they even have dedicated partners for the reintroduced Overwatch; either the systems are too slow (which VAC originally was designed to be) or the cheaters are too much.

[@pasi_patukka_muna]

i clicked thinking this was a doom vid :c

[@military_snake]

woops!

[@starcatfish1]

nice shed

[@military_snake]

thanks! it's quite homey :)

[@thebotanist7145]

So.. mentally sick.

[@military_snake]

sorta, yeah

[@user-qc8jd5tw6s]

BECAUSE IN THIS WORLD. ITS KILL OR BE KILLED. MWHAHAHABABABABHAHSHSH

[@military_snake]

i suppose so, but man, what a rough way to live!

[@salt-d2032]

uh no

[@Arcelis0]

It's fun

[@military_snake]

mmm... I've heard this quite too many times

[@Arcelis0]

@@military_snake Probably because its true. (for some people)

[@military_snake]

@@Arcelis0 you seem to misunderstand "fun", sir

[@anidot5419]

Forget the rest of the video. Nice hair bro 0:38

[@military_snake]

thanks lmao

[@flamewear]

13 siblings is insane??

[@military_snake]

everyone says that lol

[@moistenedwall1003]

holy fukn waffle.

[@military_snake]

...is that good or bad?

[@moistenedwall1003]

@@military_snake bad, imo. the vid's extremely ramble-y and kinda hard to get through with how much you jump around, but that could just be a me thing. Either way, talkin about the bot issue is a good thing, so keep it up either way, dont let me getchu down,,

[@xscitobor1233]

Sorry but this is a Waste of a video, Everyone can think one what they see going on in TF2 and speculate that they are doing it for fun/ exploration of what they can do mixed with their own version of uncaring or out right delight at others suffering. What we need to know is what started this for them, how they continue doing it (like costs and what they use to run them), why they make more bots, and why keep going for this long when the community's reactions is up and down in how much they react or care anymore. And what keeps it fun and engaging enough to keep them hosting. Basically I want to know The How and the Why from the bot hosters, not someones personal views passed of as inside knowledge in their thinking/ "interconnectioness"

[@military_snake]

I did mention that it's not entirely sure how this kind of thing starts. The best I can posture is a mixture of upbringing and social environments. If they were raised well but had bad friends, or had good friends but bad parents, either one is just as likely to produce such a person. The best I can do is study their minds and, through the making of this video, come to those theories, but that is all thy will ever remain as: nothing more than theories. Unless you were able to divulge the whole truth from one of them (and trust me, that is a difficult, if not impossible task), then the REAL how's and the REAL why's might never be answered. I do not know what drives a person to sadism and sociopathy. But what I do know is that it is these traits that cause them to do what they do within this game specifically, and what causes many of their similar mental faculties to throw similar experiences upon other people in other games, lives, and mediums. But as for true origin? We may never know.

[@fear7012]

Do you live in a wooden box?

[@military_snake]

a garage lol. ehen we moved in, the walls were never done. this wood is all we can do for the time being

[@Yvenskobutbetter]

No, they're just attention seekers. 😐📸

[@military_snake]

indeed, but WHY are they attention seekers? the bigger picture, my guy

[@chrisnaaden3496]

It's just a game bro 😂

[@military_snake]

the only reason I find this funny is because I know you irl lmao

[@watermeloneatergaming]

why is bro playing doom ☠

[@military_snake]

cuz I like it

[@watermeloneatergaming]

@@military_snake understandable have a great day

[@FromSpace488]

May i ask why you live inside a wooden box?

[@military_snake]

you may! it's a garage: a garage built as a separate building from the house, and it's my "office space" for myself and my father. it's just how the setup happens to work out!

[@topbrasshimself5606]

Bro what

[@military_snake]

yes

[@TheOneAndOnlyCatfish.]

y'know sometimes i forget that you don't look like the sniper from team fortress 2

[@military_snake]

lolololol

[@FerinitheBloodHusky]

why do you live in wood

[@military_snake]

it's a garage entirely separate from the house, and this is just the walls that we have. it used to be worse; the insulation used to be entirely exposed lol

[@B0xF0xplays]

Make sure you don't use the wrong words! Make sure that you use a dictionary to find descriptors that fit as closely as possible because, if you don't you WILL sound like an untrustworthy corrector that uses a broad vocabulary to trick others! (just a bullshitting conspiracy theorist) Use/ try to sound the least like these people! it helps. :3

[@B0xF0xplays]

My opinion: Don't limit these people, Variation within a species is good! Just enlighten ones self to ignore, counteract, and avoid their ploys. In fact use ones knowledge and, furthermore Power to use those of tomfoolery for ones enjoyment. (Swap the roles) learn to live and benefit from all that your environment gives and hell, benefit all you enjoy while you are at it!

[@military_snake]

i misunderstand. is this a criticism of my speech, or just a helpful reminder?

[@yourunclejoe9500]

What could this gentleman possibly be waffling about

[@military_snake]

literally no idea. is this the result of ChatGPT trying to come up with an intelligent comment?

[@B0xF0xplays]

@@military_snake Are you insulting me?

[@edgrininnesfortin]

this is allreligious speculation. None of this is really looking to understand who bothosters are or what they gain/enjoy out of it, and it all just ends up being stereotyping, mischaracterization or weird ramblings about vague internet topics related to bothosters and bothosting, but where does it engage with the bothosters themselves? what are we supposed to gain out of this video?

[@military_snake]

understanding of human minds different from yours, so that you can behave accordingly around them with upmost discretion.

[@edgrininnesfortin]

​@@military_snake no, there isn't even an "understanding of human minds." This video is entirely just speculation.

[@edgrininnesfortin]

@@military_snake You're referring to the apple of the Garden of Eden as if it's conceptually the same thing as multiplayer hacking; you're relationship between old video game cheats/modification and newer multiplayer hacks or, specifically, mass bot-hosting doesn't even bring light to what TYPE of bot-hosting or hacks they are, what they do, etc., and why hackers engage with this. You also falsely associate and speculate psychological conditions onto the behaviors and reasons why hackers do what they do without any psychological scrutiny, just kind of...speculative social psychologist dribble, on top of literally the fucking CATHOLIC CHURCH. This isn't just a "different understanding." This is speculative and lacking in understanding. I'm not here to police how you think or what you talk about...but when you claim to be of utmost discretion in this "understanding" and half of what you talked about was not even connected to bothosting, it's dishonest and disingenuous towards every concept you're talking about here

[@StoreMilk]

I'm a cheater and I've hosted a small amount of bots in the past. The reason why I loved doing it is because it's cool to see things work. I love to change the config and make the bots do stupid af things. One of my favorite things to do is melee scout. It's funny to see them all swarm a player like mosquitoes and beat them to death with their bats. I even had some bots have pans specifically for that. Also dominating a server with sniper bots is just really fun. I guess it's the feeling of absolute power for that.

[@military_snake]

honest stuff, i appreciate it!

[@military_snake]

also definitely attesting to subtextual points that i make more explicit in the mega video coming soon. also addresses another comment's point, pretty cool lol

[@Quiver333_real]

Yooo, I ran into pan scouts on Harvest like 2 times, it was more hilarious than annoying

[@FromSpace488]

Wait, seriously? I was watching your video with all interest, untill... ORIGINAL SIN? At 6:50. Like, dude, i get that you like talking about this stuff, but if you want to do an objective analysis about why people cheat in TF2, theology might not be the best way to go about it. I say this as a Christian myself, but hear me man, it has no place here. You should not bring the Bible and these silly concerns together like that. Come, hear me man, i will tell you how it is. Whatever is possible, man will try to do. If cheating is possible, it will happen. Why? Because if the first individual does not do so, another might, and they would lose their advantage. This is a game of logic, no religion has to be involved here. Why bring something so holy and special into this tub of shit called TF2 youtube? Come on. Have a good day.

[@military_snake]

that's why I reframed it for non-religious minds with the notion of childlike curiosity. I should have home more into depth about how that stems from possible primal origins, but somehow that didn't occur to me? that, and why NOT bring something holy into the tub of crap? goodness knows it needs more of God anyways, however small doses He can be injected in ;) just my funny little practice

[@BrohoshaphatG]

In a conversation about why people do bad things, it's hardly out of order to spend 20 seconds referring to the first time people did bad things. The Christian narrative, if it is true (spoiler: it is) affects everything.

[@military_snake]

@@BrohoshaphatG true that, brotha

[@falco5148]

30 minutes of slop just to explain how online trolling works. Could've cut it down to 5 minutes.

[@zepzep4423]

I despise people like you

[@military_snake]

yeah, but everyone else does that. that's boring.

[@MingusDynastyy]

What a lame attempt at psychoanalysis and sociological analysis.

[@military_snake]

what a sad pfp

[@MingusDynastyy]

@@military_snake FLCL is cool, bro 👍🏿

[@BananaHoovyJ.Rabbit]

Okay. Do it better then.

[@MingusDynastyy]

@@BananaHoovyJ.Rabbit Nope

[@user-vh9cc]

Nice Metallica shirt right there 🤘

[@military_snake]

thank you!