What does tryhard mean exactly?

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:

1. People usually play games for recreation
2. People enjoy games they either are winning, or at least have a chance of winning
3. 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!"

For me I have only heard it inside of the toxic world that is League of Legends. For me tryhard means that the person they are against or team are trying harder than them to win. Now they can mean this in many ways as you have rightfully asked. "So you have to tryhard to win?" "Why so tryhard." "You only beat me because you tryhard."

For me every single time I have seen it used it means "HAH you only beat me because you tryhard". People seem to use it so you feel bad because you are trying to win the game, when you should be having fun. I think alot of people like to say it on league of legends because they hope their opponent will let down their guard and try to have fun, but then the enemy will get a kill and simply say easy gg... For me tryhard is a toxic term. But in the gaming world it can have many meanings depending on the situation.

P.S. if an enemy states you are tryhard and you lose they will rub it in your face to feel better about themselves... Not sure why

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

The original definition of 'a tryhard' was someone who does everything they do with the same amount of effort that would be used at the highest possible level of play.

An example of a tryhard in an MMORPG would be someone who's doing a low level dungeon using the same expensive consumeables and high-maintenance skill rotations as the top raiding content requires.

In inherently competitive games like MOBAs (like DotA and LoL) or shooters, the term is a lot harder to apply since there is much less difference in effort between Ranked play and casual play. The only thing that comes to mind is that one might take more risk in a casual match than in a Ranked match. There, the term "tryharding" generally means 'trying to win at any cost' and it is also sometimes used with a more positive intention ("let's tryhard" to mean "let's try to make a comeback" or "let's maximise our advantage" if winning).

It can have many meanings based upon the setting, the environment and the community culture developed.

However there are 2 most prominent uses which I believe are the most wide spread, one aimed at what you consider the opposing party (which might sometimes actually be the party which is inherently allied to you) or one aimed at what you consider your allied party or yourself.

The first usage is intended to be derogatory while the latter is intended to have an encouraging undertone to it.

When used towards an opposing party it carries a connotation of "Stop trying so hard, it's just a game." Which also carries an undertone of "If I would actually try, I would beat you, but I can't be bothered." It is primarily used to lessen one's own "salt" (or bitterness if you will) after an unfavorable outcome (i.e. your character got killed by the opposing party).

When used towards yourself or an ally party it carries a connotation of "Let's put in more effort that usual." or "Let's do this 110%!" or even "Let's start playing serious.". Comical phrase examples include: "Ok guys, let's get our tryhard pants on."

I refer to people as try hards that enter non-ranked or below level cap PvP games (mostly in MMO's) with perfectly formed group compositions and employ tactics usually seen in ranked or organized play against PUG groups. When a 4-man, tank, 2 DPS , healer group is in non-ranked and starts calling hard swaps and chaining CC's against people who are still learning to play the game that's being a try hard.

A real life counterpart would be if you went down to your local park for a pick up game of flag football and the a college team showed up and started calling plays and running routes. A situation where one side is already more talented than the other but then further pushes their advantage by using comms, advanced tactics (usually impossible to counter without organization) and cherry picked group comp to win in a game mdoe that is intended for casual play.

Although the above definitions are correct, I think another way of saying it is:

Tryhard - A player who will SEVERELY impede the enjoyment of player/s, often in unsportsmanlike ways, in an attempt to succeed at a game.

Just to show you the difference, see the below two examples:

E.g. Player A plays COD, and is exceptionally good at aiming/knowing common choke points etc. He plays online matches where he frequently is the top scoring player, and will have a much higher K/D than normal. He does not display any 'toxic' behavior (teabagging/camping etc).

This player may be called a tryhard by players who frequently bullrushed his position, were untactical in thier weapon choices, and overall were killed by him a lot. In this instance, it's a more subjective choice, as other higher ranked players may recognize the fact he is a skilled, non-toxic player.

E.G. 2 Player B plays COD, and is an average player in terms of aiming and common tactics. However, player B will exploit tactics such as camping/spawnkilling/using rockets and grenades for AGES on one spot. These willprobably get him a high score, but are considered unsportsmanly methods.

This player may be called a tryhard because he puts winning the game above 'normal' play, and will actively seek to win with a disregard for traditional displays of skill. Even skilled players may call him a tryhard, as despite their ability, they can't NOT die against his tactics, and it's unsportsmanly.

Of course, some players may accept things like camping etc. as valid tactics as they use accepted gameplay mechanisms.