This is mostly in response to my own experiences watching the Fighting Game Community, although I see it just about everywhere* when competitive gaming is involved, as well as sports, governments and all aspects of life. So my question is: do you think trash talking is beneficial and should be encouraged whenever a competitive community is formed, or is it more detrimental to the integrity of its members? I'm not going to rag on about how the world should be like this, but I just want to hear opinions for and against this behaviour in online circles. I find it rather fascinating.

*the one exception is the RTS community, which seems to always provide helpful tips to newcomers and collaborate on strategies - except for a few select rabblerousers

In some cases, it is indeed necessary, such as knocking someone with an ego larger than the moon down a peg. But when one uses mindless profanity, that's generally over the line.

Trash talk is for stressful situations and competitions, not building a community. You can take that other person down off their peg without resorting to insulting his or her parental lineage and/or their level of adherence to stereotypical gender roles.

Depends on the trash talk. If you're cursing them out, that's over the line, but saying they'll be an easy win, or other "friendly" trash talk can help build the community, but if you wouldn't say it to you're real friends, don't say it to a stranger.

Obviously not. Look at Playstation and X-Box. You can't even get on X-Box live without an annoying 7 year old swearing his mouth off. And Playstation's new ad seems like it was made by one of those kids.
Trash talk just makes the nicer people leave, and more trash talkers come in.
Trash talkers are like the plague. You try to avoid them, but they finally find you.

While I'm all in favor for good-spirited competition, trash-talking really doesn't help. While it can range from harmless to outright hateful, there's no point at which I can see trash-talk being positive.

Um, does eating trash build a healthy body? The reason why they call it trash talk is that it's unnecessary. It certainly won't build a healthy community.

what the dragon says. real trash talk is about breaking someone down, not community building.

It's probably more helpful to help someone rather than trash talk in a competitive environment.

If I'm playing a game with people I know, there is certainly going to be plenty of friendly trash-talk.
But there's a reason online games have the option to mute other players. I don't need sass from a bunch of idiots I don't know.

Nope

Just providing a quick counter argument - for competitive communities, the goal of the organisation is to promote fair and even competition. If players don't trash talk and are all nice to each other, it becomes somewhat harder to assume the "do anything it takes to win" mentality which the community expects. I know from experience that I'd even throw a game or two just to even things out between my friends, and that's perfectly fine because I had fun in the process. But there's a line when competitions on a global scale stop being about fun, and having an environment where everyone is super awesomely friendly can be detrimental to competitive atmosphere.

Although I wholeheartedly agree with a lot of the above sentiments: especially when it's just casual online gaming, trash talk can be incredibly immature and annoying.

I feel bad for those who have to trash talk to get into the competitive mood. I really do.

Ah, sorry, my interpretation and your's differ. I see trash talk on a lower level than what you see it as.. In no situation is flat out sexism, or racism acceptable. There is a fine line between friendly gentlemanly competition and angry, barbaric use of profanity and insults.

Trash talk is fine so long as the targeted side know how to take it as a joke, and it isn't done with any genuine malice. Its easy to think that the only way to community harmony is if everyone gets along most of the time and nobody ever says anything bad about each other, but jibes can strengthen bonds and criticism can bring weaknesses to light. Unfortunately, internet communities take jokes about as well as rabbits take headlights, and so every vague jibe from The Other Side is met with a crowd-sourced foam-mouthed lunacy that in 99% of cases does nothing to improve things. The opposite occurs in that situation. So, like most things, its a gray area.

@Happy_Mask: sorry, I've always seen 'trash talk' used to rattle or jar the other guy(s) mentally, to make them nervous or overly angry thinking about the nasty things that've been said to or about them, and thus maybe screw them up during a game of whatever is being played. it's not 'nice' in any way, shape, or form, and it's not a foundation upon which to build a healthy community of any sort IMO.

Well look at this site. The only trash talking is done by LJM and this is the best video game community, in my opinion, on the internet. So (virtually) no trash talking equals happy people who get along.

Like others have been saying, there's a point where trash-talk can be very offensive. Therefore, its probably best not to do so unless the one taking it in is fine with it and an active community member. I for one, would dislike joining a community only to be slaughtered with insults immediately.

too often, especially on the 'net, trash talk is used to bully. when caught, the perpetrator then says: 'but i was jk, man' when, in truth he was saying something cruel and unacceptable, something he really felt. not having any face recognition/body language keeps the recipient in the dark. again, if called on it, the old 'but i was jk' is tossed out and the recipient made to look like an over-sensitive idiot for being offended.

not everyone will get along all the time. some will never get along. we all get snarky sometimes. i don't think trash talking helps anything uless it is done between people who really know each other irl and are secure in the friendship.