We’ve all been there. If you’re a devout gamer, then you know what I’m talking about. We all love playing video games online with our friends, but where do we draw the line? All I’m saying is, I’d hate to add up all the hours I’ve wasted trying to achieve a higher rank in EA Sports FC’s Ultimate Team, or Call of Duty’s Multiplayer. Endless hours, which potentially add up to weeks, months or even years, have been stolen from my life, never to be seen again.
After making my two videos on Rocket League and receiving some of the comments I did on them, I decided to expand my thought process. What if Rocket League isn’t solely the problem? It’s been decades since Multiplayer gaming entered our lives. Was it for better or worse? And is it now time to finally move away from the competitive Multiplayer gaming merry-go-round we’ve all become so used to?
Before All the Multiplayer Madness Began
During my early years of gaming, I didn’t have the internet. I didn’t even know the PlayStation 2 could connect to it until years later. This meant that I only had access to story games or computer-based simulation games. My memories of those years fill me with an overwhelming feeling of contentment. From Prince of Persia to Ratchet and Clank, I just loved losing myself in an interesting story.
If I wasn’t playing a story game, then I was probably playing FIFA. People used to love Manager Mode, where you would try to sign Ronaldinho to your favourite team and win the Champions League in your first season. Then Ultimate Team appeared, and a lot of people felt that competing against real-life players was far more gratifying than beating the computer.
It was the same story when Call of Duty first introduced us to Multiplayer. Campaign missions were the most popular aspect of Call of Duty before Modern Warfare was released, and thanks to Multiplayer, gaming hasn’t been the same since. I’ve been playing video games for as long as I can remember, and I was a lot happier gaming as a child than I am now.
In Sickness and in Health
There was a honeymoon period for Multiplayer gaming, though. Starting with Call of Duty’s Multiplayer release in 2007, other games like FIFA enjoyed major success by pitting players against each other. At school, you’d spend most of the day discussing your tactics for winning in Pro Clubs on FIFA or lasting longer in Call of Duty’s Zombies mode. Zombie maps like Mob of the Dead had crazy ‘Easter Eggs’, which meant having to solve multiple puzzles to find unexplored areas of the map. Some of the most magnificent nights of my childhood were spent breaking my Zombie’s round record or winning league titles in Pro Clubs.
As I got older, things started to change. EA started to put all its resources into making sure that the money-making machine of Ultimate Team was the number one game mode on FIFA, at the expense of the players who preferred Career Mode or Seasons. These modes quickly became unplayable. Meanwhile, year after year, Call of Duty’s popularity has been questioned, leading to some desperate decisions made by Activision.
After games like Advanced Warfare and Infinite Warfare were regarded as poor games by the standards previously set so high, Activision have constantly relied on nostalgia to temporarily stall their sinking ship.
This allowed games like Fortnite and Rocket League to introduce themselves to the Multiplayer industry. I’ve spoken about both of these games before, and I implore you to watch my other videos for more details. Let’s just say, neither has had a positive impact on gaming in my opinion, and there are multiple reasons as to why I say that.
Where Have We Ended Up?
Let’s take a step back and analyse the state of Multiplayer gaming these days:
Financial:
You have to buy the next instalment of game franchises every year to stay up to date and compete.
Other games are free, but you have to invest more money into a Battle Pass or Bundle to compete.
Time:
You’re locked into a situation where you have to play continuously to improve and achieve rewards.
Some games even require you to log in every day, just so you can unlock certain meaningless collectables.
Sanity:
You often see the worst side of humanity. People are a lot more toxic and cowardly online than they would be in real life. Bad losers can become very nasty, and some winners aren’t any better. In public sports events, people are taught to be gracious in victory and defeat, but online, there is no one to guide them.
You also have to worry about hackers. Some players pay for cheats in certain games, making it impossible for anyone else to win or have fun.
Is Competitive Multiplayer Gaming Still Relevant?
I’m certainly not opposed to professional leagues and competitions, where the best gamers in the world face off for glory. That makes for some amazing entertainment. Also, you’ll often find that the very best players aren’t as toxic as bad players because they’re less frustrated with their performance. Imagine possessing skills that only a few people in the world have. How can anyone get mad with that?
For less talented players, though, I don’t understand why we need ranking systems in Multiplayer games. If I played over a thousand matches on EAFC, you’d think I’d become pretty good at the game. I’d probably achieve a high rank in the weekend league and receive the best rewards, but I’d be trading my whole weekend and a part of my soul to do it. That just isn’t healthy.
Yes, in story games like Grand Theft Auto and Ghost of Yotei, you can get lost for hours doing the craziest of activities. Yet, you’re far more likely to be learning something interesting, and task solving in ways that you’re just not in competitive Multiplayer gaming.
So, is it Time to move away from Competitive Multiplayer Gaming?
Truthfully, I’m undecided. Like I said before, some of my favourite nights as a kid were spent playing video games online with my friends. I think that is because we weren’t addicted to progressing through mind-numbing ranking systems like on Rocket League and EAFC. We actually had an objective to achieve within the timespan of the evening.
I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t think Multiplayer modes should be eradicated, but they shouldn’t be the main focus for game developers either. It would be great if resources could be spent on creative ways to improve the players’ experience, rather than us having to trade our sanity and money for little to no satisfaction.
Of course, the social element of Multiplayer games is important, and was especially so during lockdown. It certainly shouldn’t disappear altogether. Yet, we have a duty as a gaming community to protect each other and grow together.
At the end of the day, people can do what they want. I’m not saying we shouldn’t have the opportunity to spend hours trading our mental and physical well-being for some minor success in a competitive Multiplayer video game. I guess my point is this: We shouldn’t want to do that.
The video for this blog post will be uploaded to YouTube at 6 pm BST. Link: https://youtu.be/qa08Xh2k6ks
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