Step 1. Play single player games.
That's it. That's all you have to do.
this post was submitted on 29 Jun 2026
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Sometimes Pure Wilderness Survival gets old after a while.
Start giving them chores.
You might get some work done for free, or you might make them bored enough to leave.
Or you'll get a shitty, half-done job that you'll have to spend more time fixing, while the kid practically begs you for approval.
Ah this is also how people historically deal with children following them around in real life. Great things ahead. An army of urchins at OP's disposal.
I've heard the phrase "if a kid isn't cleaning then they're messing" and thought it sounded cruel, but now I've got a toddler and I've come to realize that he is constantly and enthusiastically ~~effecting~~ affecting his environment, but he's just as happy to ~~effect~~ affect it for the better if pointed in that direction. Kids like doing stuff, and they like it even more if it accomplishes something praiseworthy
Edit: thanks, those two confuse me XD
To "effect" something is to make it happen. "Effecting change" is the typical usage.
To modify something is to "affect" it. So children are affecting their environment.
Even today i am a toddler at heart. I resigned mysekf to being a sidequest guy a while ago
Just to make sure have you actually tried turning them down? Even if they are kids you're allowed to say no.
Like "No, sorry, I want to do my own thing alone, tonight" ?
I tried saying I was busy doing something, but after a while they would ask if I wasn't busy anymore. Eventually after doing it a couple of times it feels like I'm being mean.
You might just need to be more honest and direct. Something like "thanks for the invite but i want to go solo today"
Drawing boundaries for people who have no connection to you besides playing the same MMO isn’t “mean”. It’s simply drawing boundaries.
I think you should try stating your wishes, and then sticking with them. It worked for me before, when I was also struggling with a similar thing, thought it was grownups, instead of kids.
If you say things like "not right now", "I'm doing x currently", "I can't because I'm busy", this signals to them that they need to wait, and you will be available later. And as they get impatient they will ask you again. This isn't what you want.
If you say "sorry, today I would like to play alone" they will possibly be more disappointed that they don't get you at all, but at least they will know not to expect your availability and they can hopefully make their own fun. It's sort of like ripping off the band-aid. It's more uncomfortable for you to say it this way, and will hurt them more to hear, but it's better for everyone involved in the long run.
I used to be evasive with my adult gaming friends, like "I'm not sure I'll be online today" and "I might come on later", sometimes while hiding my steam and discord status and playing alone. But it had the same effect you're describing. These days I just tell them, "Sorry I'm too tired", or "Sorry I feel like playing a single player game today". It's miles better, and I don't have to keep lying.
I see, you're right and this sounds reasonable. Thank you a lot!
You're supposed to be "mean" (it's not mean at all) in this case.
Tell them to stop following you around or talking to you, nicely, exactly once.
Then, if they don't comply, you are probably dealing with a troll who enjoys annoying people. Children especially are prone to that. You have to stop doing anything interesting for a bit, just go afk, make a tea or whatever, and wait until they get bored and move on. Then you can resume playing. Or even, if that is a thing in this game, get a moderator to remove them.
Insisting on your preferred way to interact (or not) is not mean, it's required for your mental health. They have no right at all to interact with you if you don't want it, and they should be respecting it. If they don't, any amount of "mean"ness is warranted.
Hire a piper with multicolored clothing to rid the server of rats and then don't pay him.
Quality comment
Ignore, block, or BFG 9000 I guess.
If you can't convince yourself to pull an Anakin, maybe set up a base somewhere dangerous where the wildlife will pick them off for you. Get a nice supervillain volcano base going and imagine that the mobs are henchmen doing your bidding while your hands stay clean.
This sounds hilarious, especially if you're playing a game with proximity mic only. you can hear their screams in the distance as they attempt to approach, while you sip wine from your dangerously placed base.
I don't know anything about it, but it seems like this game might not be equipped with BFG 9000.
Luanti is a voxel game engine, but servers can run different games and mods, picking from an extensive selection.
Despite this, the BFG 9000 does not appear to be available in a mod at all!
Stop interacting with them... Interacting with sociable people is going to result in more socialization. Set flag to AFK or Busy if possible, then tune out of the chat.
Is this where we are now? Giving instructions on how to be introverted?!
Traps
I'm not sure if you're saying the children are some sort of trap or that OP should use traps to dispose of them. I know nothing of the game.
Setting traps on players in Minecraft is a treasured pasttime.
They're usually deadly but don't have to be.
There are even traps that will softlock your game and make your character stuck, to the point that re-logging wont even fix it, allegedly.
Aww I remember looking up to big players as a kid
that's kinda cute actually
Stay focused on your goals and don't let trolls or negativity distract you. Not every comment deserves a response. Ignore them or mute them and keep moving forward.
it's about staying true to your values and setting the example. People respect consistency, confidence, and discipline. Keep doing what you believe is right, and let your actions speak louder than your words.
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I play single-player games, so I mostly can't relate.
However, yesterday while playing The Witcher 3, a child who was skipping stones at the pond got up and charged right into Geralt. I had passed her and her brother on the way into town, and I think I set the controller down to look at something on the phone, when a tiny NPC comes charging up and rams me. Twice. Then goes back to the pond. I don't know if it was a bug or what.
It's very early on in the game. I had to go talk to a witch, Keira or something like that. Striking blonde young woman. It was adjacent to or part of the Bloody Baron's quest, I think. Or Ciri's. I'm still kinda trying to get my bearings. Anyway, it told me to go to the pond, then look for a stone, then a cart, then the shack. Anyway, the pond in question was where the child was skipping stones, so I went to speak to her, and she didn't say anything special.
Now that I think about it, I wonder if the child had a scripted daily action (e.g. run home and get a picnic basket of lunch for her and her brother) and I just put Geralt in her path. Still, it was weird. She rammed into me twice and then returned to her spot.
If it's a boy named Louis Pan and we're playing Deus Ex, we usually do something else (everyone kills him, since the first two Deus Ex games let you kill kids).
Ignore, block or talk about politics
Try DayZ instead. You can just shoot them in the leg and leave them be devoured by the zombies.
i just want to say this is adorable. it sounds like you feel safe and cool to them so you constantly get chosen to spend time with. it takes a village, and in some small way you're doing your part. i know its annoying sometimes, but you might look back fondly on your time helping out some annoying kids in a game some day. i dont really have any specific advice though, good luck haha.
block them or switch /teleport somewhere else.
What game are you playing?
I recently started playing in a Luanti server...
Minecraft clone.
The server I'm playing in is not really a 1:1 Minecraft clone, tbh. I guess the best way to describe Luanti (formerly Minetest) nowadays is "voxel-game engine".
Ah thanks.
Well Op... If you're going to play on a server with kids, uh
Almost every game seems to have kid players unless if they're R-Rated, and even that isn't enough sometimes. I don't think shooter games like COD is E-Rated.
It's Minecraft, man. That's like being upset there are kids in toblox or fortnight.
If you've read more of my post or even the title, you'd know that children being in games aren't my problem. When I was a child I didn't act this way to other people in servers, I have always been independent, so I don't know how to deal with clingy children like those. Also the game is not exactly Minecraft.
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They mention it at the beginning: https://www.luanti.org/
It's basically a community-developed platform for Minecraft-like games.
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Have you thought that maybe you are a more interesting and compelling person than you presume?
Do parent tricks. I need help can you find X for me so go quest for it?
Kids being kids on Minecraft 😇
(yeah I know it's Luanti)
I think Anakin knows the appropriate response here
I dunno. I play mmos but am pretty standoffish. Have never had much of an issue. I think my mmos tend to attract older folk though and yound ones are fen and not all that young.
not really related but could you send the server? I've never played luanti multiplayer
The server is Your Land! You may need to learn a lot at the beginning though, the logic of the world as it has lots of mods, how to deal with the world (the wilderness and nether is way more dangerous than it is Minecraft). You can also pretty much live in the city if you want (and there are multiple!) but of course you get more freedom with builds in the wilderness. There are also events where a mysterious entity calls "Voice" attacks by sending troops in places, but it's up to you to join those. There are roleplay elements and some people write events in the server like it's part of some story (esp. with Voice attacks). There is a library for it. I've always been looking for sandbox MMORPGs in this level for years so I can't "play other games" like some other people are recommending when I just found something like it.
you could play runescape, no kids in it these days :3
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