malding

English

Etymology

From mald +‎ -ing, itself a blend of mad +‎ bald. First cited usage of "mald" points back to November 2011 with an entry made on Urban Dictionary by user Yozaru. Became part of gaming culture in 2019 through the streamer Forsen, specifically referring to someone becoming so mad at a game they turn bald, either through stress or hair pulling.

Adjective

malding (not comparable)

1. (Internet slang, neologism, Twitch-speak) Angry about a game, especially on the part of a man who is a poor loser.
   • 2020 September 16, Arda Ocal, “How Riot Games' board game Tellstones weaponizes memory”, in ESPN‎^[1]:

     So THAT's why I was malding when I lost -- or at least what I'll blame it on.

   • 2020 October 29, Ryan Galloway, “Tyler1 accuses xQc of view botting while they trade shots on stream”, in Dot Esports‎^[2]:

     “XQc is malding in Among Us, a children’s fucking party game that no one gives a fuck about, crazy,” Tyler said.

   • 2021 May 24, Charlie Pugh, “The art of misery: how Ludwig made a career from failing”, in The Courier‎^[3]:

     In his "hardest game" series he plays malding games, named for the rage they provoke in those who play them. […] The completion percentage of Pogostuck, an iconic malding game, is 1.5%, which makes for dozens of hours of carefully navigating a level interspersed with bouts of rage.

   • 2021 September 26, Bill Cooney, “xQc rage quits and uninstalls FIFA 22 after getting demolished in Ultimate Team”, in Dexerto.com‎^[4]:

     “I’m gonna say it: soccer is one of the most dogs**t sports to ever exist, it’s an embarassment^[sic] to humankind. I said it, get mad,” xQc said after his opponent scored yet again. “Keep malding, and I want to make sure people understand: it is not ‘football,’ it’s soccer.”

2. (Internet slang, neologism, by extension) Angry or irate.