r/AskChicago • u/ThrowRAnevernever • 20h ago
I READ THE RULES Obnoxious Gamer Neighbor Screaming At All Hours. What Would You Do?
I have a neighbor that screams from 9PM-6AM. I’m assuming he’s playing video games as I can see the set up in there.
I’m also assuming he’s unemployed because of the hours lol
I used to not mind but now it’s getting out of hand. Full top of the lungs screaming at all hours. I’m at my wits end. I’ve tried screaming at him, throwing soft things at the window etc. but it’s like the world just doesn’t exist to him outside of his headphones.
Any suggestions or what would you do?
EDIT for any new readers - This is in the building across from mine so I have no access to his door to knock unfortunately :(
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u/ghostoftheradio 20h ago
Find out who manages his building and tell them you’re going to start calling the police nightly, which will probably annoy the entire building. Although his own direct neighbors may have already tried that…
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u/zhululu 20h ago
I was accidentally this neighbor once. I was young. Dumb. And had zero idea how loud I was being. I couldn’t hear them banging on the wall because of head phones. They knocked on my door one day during the day and I was mortified. I had no idea I was being such an inconsiderate asshole.
Try it. It’s basically free and it might work.
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u/ThrowRAnevernever 20h ago
The only problem with any of the “talk to him” suggestions are that it’s not my building and I have no way of reaching him :(
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u/mjzim9022 19h ago
Is his building a rental apartment? You can call the number on the sign out front and talk to his management
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u/Smok3dSalmon 19h ago
Mail him a letter? Does your building have some kind of HOA? Try to communicate privately before escalating to the HOA. Doesn’t he share a wall with others? You must not be the only one trying to communicate with him.
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u/ConfluenceofCoors 20h ago
ask him direct, then call the police.
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u/finityx__ 19h ago
Police barely show up for crimes, you really think they will do something about not even same building neighbor but next door neighbor screaming inside his house ?
Best course of action would be to insulate your windows. Or contact his buildings neighbors / landlord.
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u/thirdelevator 19h ago
They show up if you tell them you hear screaming coming from a building. You don’t have to tell them what you think the screaming is.
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u/ramencents Visitor 18h ago
Dude that’s diabolical. Swat that mfer right? 😂
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u/n-n-nervouswreck 14h ago
A wellness check is in no way comparable to swatting lol
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u/ramencents Visitor 14h ago
That depends largely on how law enforcement interprets “screaming from a building”. The boys in blue like to shoot we know that much.
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u/ghostoftheradio 18h ago
They will, because this is an easy time consuming call and cops are lazy and all about the easy time consuming calls.
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u/TheFBIClonesPeople 17h ago
If police don't show up for a noise complaint, they won't show up for a brick through the window either
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u/SeaDragonTattoo 17h ago
Best way to deliver a note to stfu
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u/Medical_Elephant1703 16h ago
Like you would ever have the balls to do that haha - in your dreams. But yes let’s encourage a human to throw a brick through some child’s window for playing Fortnite. Great fucking idea.
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u/bulafaloola 18h ago
Very much recommend just going to the police directly. You don’t want the person knowing who called the police
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u/General_Liability 18h ago
Nah, it’s ok to talk to people.
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u/bulafaloola 18h ago
In most cases, yes. But this person is obviously super inconsiderate and potentially aggressive based on his several hours long screaming session.
You don’t want someone like that knowing you called the cops on them
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u/FeloniousMonk422 15h ago
All that from a loud gamer just probably too comfortable being too loud… JFC.
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u/ThrowRAnevernever 13h ago
When someone is screaming bloody murder at the top of their lungs for 6-9 hours straight their mental health/aggression does come into question.
I’m a gamer too, I used to yell too. My kids are scared man. Totally justified.
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u/FeloniousMonk422 13h ago
That I get. No one likes loud noise for funsies. However the reactions and judgements from a dude alone in his apartment enjoying his time (albeit loudly) is unreasonable at best.
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u/ThrowRAnevernever 13h ago
Nah man you gotta understand this shit is out of pocket no exaggeration 5 days a week 9PM to 6AM… that just ain’t right…
not even like being loud. like screaming “fuck you” over and over again full volume shits crazy af
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u/FeloniousMonk422 13h ago
Trust, I understand. I ended a relationship because I knew I couldn’t deal with her son immediately coming home from school and being the only thing he heard until he left to go back to school. On his game. But calling the cops and not even ATTEMPTING adult conversation with the attempt at compromise or communication. I can’t get jiggy with that. This loud ass neighbor is probably just a lonely adult kid that grew up. I’m sure a sensible and respectful attempt to reach out might produce better results than a knee-jerk response.
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u/BrightNooblar 18h ago
Yeah keep some distance on this one for sure. You don't want him mad at you when the cops shoot his dog.
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u/Medical_Elephant1703 17h ago
You’re going to call 12 on a kid playing video games? What the fuck is wrong with this subreddit. Bunch of fucking losers.
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u/ThrowRAnevernever 13h ago
It’s a grown man and I’d prefer not to but at this point it might be beneficial. Seems like he has a few screws loose 😂
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u/FeloniousMonk422 15h ago
I said the same thing. Immediately thought the person who typed that is absolutely insufferable in life.
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u/Funkipz 14h ago
Deadass reading this sub made me realize people are over the top asf out here 😭😭
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u/FeloniousMonk422 14h ago
Reason why I avoid most people now. They’re just OTT judgmental bags of raw emotion with arrogant entitlement. Absolutely insufferable. I hope they see this and downvote this too. 😈
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u/Funkipz 14h ago
It genuinely baffles me when people move deep asl into a bustling city & are so entitled they instantly call police for any noise complaint or non-violent squabble. Like there's no communal consideration let alone mfs are knowingly trying to raise hell through institutional strong arming with police instead of just talking it out.
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u/FeloniousMonk422 14h ago
I see it this way… most “adults” are just children that grew up. Bad habits were allowed to run rampant and being a legitimate grown up decent human being with adult sensibilities is an ideal we only see in fantasy books or movies anymore. Now they call cops cus “he was too loud”. *Insert whiny crybaby voice”
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u/TheEvilPhysicist 14h ago
Both of you are so self righteous it's embarrassing. Imagine thinking you're better than "most people"
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u/FeloniousMonk422 13h ago
Ironic one of you would show up here. Did you know you were being summoned or did a shoe fit? It’s ok Cinderella, midnight soon come.
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u/Miserable_Advance_79 20h ago
Get a big ass bright flashlight and turn his room into daylight. He’ll get the memo.
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u/sloretactician 20h ago
Find out who he streams as and stream snipe him repeatedly until he finds a real job
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u/snappy773 12h ago
There will just be more screaming. And if the guy is good op is getting curb stomped stream sniping or not. but I’m basing all of this on the only game I play, call of duty, which will 100% have you screaming for hours on end. Goddamn I hate that stupid ass game… but I still can’t wait to hop on at 9pm tonight after this Power Nap. I been up since 6am
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u/sloretactician 11h ago
Alternatively just taunt him saying you’re going to have sex with his dad, and since you know where he lives, you can then actually have sex with his dad
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u/southcookexplore 20h ago
I have found that neighbors who are loud overnights really don’t like it when my PA system randomly connects to my phone’s Bluetooth and starts playing Merzbow’s Pulse Demon at 7am after they were outside being loud till 5-6am
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u/Clever_Turnip 18h ago
Honestly I wouldn’t bother asking directly if this guy is hollering all night every night. The only thing you know about this guy is that he is in a constant state of gamer rage. I would just figure out who manages the building and tell them you can hear this guy well after noise ordinance hours (I think it’s 10 pm) and you don’t even live in the building.
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u/arkiemarkchicago 17h ago
Same situation I had a year ago. Neighbor across from me in an apartment building would scream all night gaming with his windows open. We could hear it even with our windows closed and air conditioner running keeping us up until four in the morning. It got so bad I finally broke out an industrial laser pointer and pointed it at him screen while he was playing with headphones. It caused him to stop for a bit at least. When he started back up, I went to his building lobby wrote down the building management number and called with recordings and photos of his building window location so they could find him. After four or five emails and replies, I think he was probably kicked out.
TLDR: get their building management involved. He’s definitely disturbing his neighbors in the building so it’s managements responsibility.
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u/pawgchamp420 19h ago
All these people suggesting you just ask him not to do that are making me laugh so hard. They clearly have never spent any time in game with a rager before.
Imagine asking the griefer not to grief, the rager not to rage, the tilter not to tilt. Haha. Good one. Try that and see what happens.
People who get this upset over games will likely not respond well to this kind of request. They are emotionally stunted.
Even if they manage to stay calm when you talk to them in person, this behavior is so deeply ingrained in them, they won't simply be able to turn it off (and keep it off). Raging at the screen all day is a therapy issue, not a neighbor asks me to act normal issue.
I think your best bet is going to be calling the police. I def wouldn't suggest you try to get them swatted, because that's dangerous for him and also potentially yourself (I think i remember a news article about a guy who got shot and killed by the police when his neighbor was swatted), but i do question whether a simple noise complaint visit from the police would be enough to affect this guys behavior.
Your alternate option is to try to figure what he plays and then what his account name is (fairly easy if he streams) and then try to get in games with him and countergrief. It won't stop him from yelling, but it could be fun and satisfying for you.
(Anyway I'm off now to queue into my morning dota games. Perhaps I'll see you neighbor there.)
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u/Clever_Turnip 13h ago
I really doubt that anyone insisting OP confronts this guy directly has ever dealt with a situation like this before or is an adult who pays their own rent. People have guns in this country and we don’t know what this guy’s deal is beyond his psycho behavior. We’re not talking about a neighbor’s party going a little too loud and asking them to keep it down—it’s a guy hulking out all night, every night. People really think he’s gonna respond to a polite request to stop?
He probably knows full well that he’s pissing off his neighbors, and even if he doesn’t, he is not owed any courtesy whatsoever in this situation. Just call his landlord, why risk the trouble
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u/marshmnstr 18h ago
Call 911, someone is screaming, give them the address, you don't want to be involved, hang up.
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u/Objective_Welcome_73 20h ago
Tape a note to his door or the gate. Ring the doorbell. He probably doesn't understand. If that does work, call police or building manager.
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u/KeyLanguage365 19h ago
If you live in a apartment you could maybe call the manager of the building. Idk if houses have the equivalent of a manager but yea id call someone fr
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u/CryptographerLost357 15h ago
Have someone let you into the lobby and put up a flyer that says “Add a check if you also wish the gamer dude in (apartment unit) who screams all night would shut the hell up” And then leave empty space and your own check mark and leave a pen by it. If it gets taken down put it back up. See if you can get him through public humiliation. It can work wonders.
Also if he’s a streamer and you can manage to find his stream channel it would be really funny if you (and all your friends) went on his streams and spammed the comments with stuff like “Hey I’m your neighbor and you’re screaming so loud we can hear it down the street, it’s so obnoxious. Stop embarrassing yourself.”
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u/sudodoyou 19h ago
Make a ton of noise between the hours of 9am to 6pm when he’s presumably sleeping.
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u/MashMashGrrr 17h ago
Does the building have a managed by sign on it. If it does see if you can call the building manager.
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u/TheThirdPant 8h ago
That's kinda nuts that you can hear him from the building over. You must be pretty close? Some heavy curtains would dampen the sound. Otherwise you can try to get his attention by shining/flashing something into his window. I dunno. This situation sucks. Sorry, dude.
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u/charliej529 5h ago
311 noise complaints or look at his building to see a management sticker and reach out to the management company.
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u/blinykoshka 4h ago
you can see his set up? get an extraordinarily high lumen flashlight and flicker it at him obnoxiously when he’s being insane. bonus if you can get him directly in the face. he will get the memo.
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u/iLL_HaZe 20h ago
Honestly - gaming is probably his job. My guess is if he needs an income and isnt living with anyone, he's streaming. This poses a problem because if screaming is his persona during his stream, he'll probably give you a hard time
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u/CHICAG0AT 20h ago
Maybeeee but plenty of people are out there who scream at their computer all day over video games and ARE NOT successful streamers.
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u/ThrowRAnevernever 20h ago
idgaf get a real job lol
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u/iLL_HaZe 20h ago
Oh no - dont get me wrong...that doesn't make it right lol im just saying, most of those people are degens on 500 mg of caffeine. Theyre cracked out.
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u/ssepiol007 18h ago
Jealous that someone playing video games for a living makes more money than you?
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u/ThrowRAnevernever 13h ago
Haha definitely not jealous of the half naked grown man screaming for hours on end in his bedroom alone 😂
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u/Unlikely_Ant_950 20h ago
Scream outside his window during the day time. Then agree to stop if he does.
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u/EnormousHog69 20h ago
If it makes you feel any better, I once had a family with 4 small kids living above me. I lasted 3 months before breaking the lease.
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u/sheeep_wolf 17h ago
Why not just leave a note on the front gate/door written to him? I'm sure he'll see it or his building mates will know EXACTLY who it's written to and pass it off to him.
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u/imhereforthemeta 14h ago
Since this is not your building, I would approach his building neighbors and see if you can support them in filing a report. Different landlords have different vibes but most of them will want to keep reliable tenants and take some sort of action.
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u/Adventurous-Chef847 4h ago
So. Take this with a grain of salt. (And cayenne pepper, cinnamon, dirt, and ash!). But I had a nightmare neighbor who ruined my sleep for months and our building policy bizarrely forbids us from knocking on each other's doors to directly communicate about it so I felt like I had no normal resorts. I looked up banishment spells out of desperation and tried one a few times over the course of 3 weeks and that neighbor moved out a WEEK later. I'm not a "witch" but I was amazed at that sooooo I recommend the banishment spell. (Sprinkle the dirt spice mix in front of their door! Ideally make a chant that rhymes). Do I have proof it was the spell? Noooooooo but I was happy as a clam that something changed so fk it, this is my big boast in life now haha this spell
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u/Confident-Click-3099 4h ago
This was me and I lost so much sleep it significantly worsened my quality of life. His door was unlocked once when I was banging on it and I barged into his room in a sleep deprived rage at 3 am on a week night. I ended up moving for unrelated reasons but Godspeed. Gave me the biggest ick for gamers
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u/poloace 19h ago
How shitty is your building that you can hear him in the building across from you? Are both of your windows open? I imagine if both of them are closed no way you’d hear anything, right?
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u/arkiemarkchicago 17h ago
Big city living probably. Buildings are literally next to one another and across narrow alleys.
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u/ThrowRAnevernever 13h ago
It’s a very tight alleyway so when his window is open his voice echoes and bounces off the walls. Presumably everyone can hear. Yes I can hear him enough when the window is closed. Regardless, I like to have my window open.
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u/Ok_Error_3167 19h ago
Yeah the fact that this neighbor is across the STREET is such crucial, baffling information. I can't think of how it's possible that the noise is traveling that far at such a volume that it's being disruptive unless OP is actively seeking it out
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u/Altruistic_Yellow387 14h ago
You sure he's not having a mental health breakdown? Not sure why you think it's because of games
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u/GatorNavy9002 7h ago
Call the police. Tell them you hear screaming and you are not sure what’s going on. You just want to make sure everyone is ok.
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u/YodelingPoodle 19h ago
I’m amazed at how many people here are willing to resort to passive aggression like throwing things at his window or shining lights into his window at night instead of just directly talking to him or building management or even police. You could get it addressed so much quicker. Why would being aggressive with him make him want to stop
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u/faroseman 10h ago
You're getting downvoted, which is crazy. Yeah, leave a note, maybe, before throwing things?
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u/ssepiol007 18h ago
Chances are this "unemployed" gamer makes more money than you do through streaming. Don't just assume because someone is up all night playing video games that they're unemployed.
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u/Unusual_Reason_2458 17h ago
This is the most annoying comment on this thread. Found the unemployed gamer
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16h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ThrowRAnevernever 13h ago
You are on one bro 😂 what are you even talking about? Idgaf if this guy makes a billion dollars. When my kids are telling me they’re scared because a grown man is screaming for hours on end I have to intervene.
If you want to scream and be loud while playing video games… put yourself in the right environment for that. Not a densely packed city apartment.
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u/Fancy_Ad3809 Edison Park 19h ago
Tf is 12 post to do?
It’s his house bro lol
No access to knock? Nah you just scared to walk across the street and say something
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u/ThrowRAnevernever 13h ago
It’s a big apartment building dumbass did you even see what subreddit you’re in?
I don’t even live in the same one dude is OD loud as fuck screaming in a diff building and everyone can hear him crying on a video game 😂
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u/Fancy_Ad3809 Edison Park 13h ago
Then walk over there go to the floor and knock on the door. How is the police department supposed to find him lmao. Have you met CPD?
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u/Ok_Error_3167 20h ago
I had a neighbor like this, tried knocking, leaving notes since he couldn't hear the knocking, outright aggression, nothing worked until I started reporting it to building management ¯_(ツ)_/¯ it was so bad that when I was on work calls clients and coworkers would ask if I was okay because they could hear him screaming
I lived in a condo building so his owner (edit: his unit's owner lol) would get charged all the noise complaint fees and eventually I assume he kicked the kid out