My gripe with online multiplayer games [Rant]

[Ronnie]

I see games like Overwatch and Naruto Shinobi Striker and all I think to myself is "obsolete in the future." I was never really fond of online multiplayer to begin with because I never found it as fun as local multiplayer. It's more enjoyable having friends over and hearing their excitement and jokes over stuff we do in the games. I'm a big fan of fighting games and I know it has a huge online presence but at least those games offer offline single-player and multiplayer modes. I can still bring friends over and play those games 5-10 years from now.

Games with online-only multiplayer rely solely on the player base. Once that player base dies down and/or the company shuts down the servers, then it's an obsolete game. Practically unplayable. That's part of the reason I could never get into Splatoon. Sure it has some single-player content but the good chunk of its fun is from multiplayer. Unfortunately there is no local multiplayer unless 2 people have a Switch. That being said, none of my friends have a Switch besides me so it's pointless to get the game. At least with games like Mario Kart and Smash Bros., I can enjoy their local multiplayer with my friends when they come over and have a blast.

Edited August 13, 2018 by Ronnie

[Von Ithipathachai]

Absolutely this.  This is why I usually don't do online multiplayer-centric (or God forbid online multiplayer only) games.  They're just not a good investment in the long run.

Splatoon is literally the only online multiplayer game that ever piqued my interest, and even then I got bored of it after a while.

[Slumber]

I always felt that it's better to not think about it.

If the game is fun, enjoy it while it lasts, and hope something just as good or better has replaced it by the time it dies or goes offline. I have plenty of good memories playing online games, and I don't look back at any of them and go "God, what a waste of time and money, can't even play it anymore."

Edited August 13, 2018 by Slumber

[Ertrick36]

I actually had a discussion on this topic with my sister a few weeks ago.  I was mostly referring to Soulcalibur and Super Smash Bros.

There's more to it for me than the games becoming obsolete, too.  There's a personal connection when it's local.  When I went to a party and played Smash, we all were wooping and screaming, having a really good time, and I hardly knew anyone there besides my one best friend.  That probably would've never happened if we all played online instead.  For me, without the personal connection, it just feels like an emotionless husk; as if I'm just playing alone against really good AI opponents.  And moreover because of that lack of human connection, I become a worse sport because it's just like there's no actual person there.  Or when I have what little human connection there is via voice chat, it just seems like everyone's either a dick or a child.

I just have way more fun when the multiplayer is on the couch.  Or when I actually know the people I'm playing with.  I hate playing with faceless strangers.

[smgrinus]

Online multiplayer was once upon a time a bonus to a single player campaign. Unfortunately, Games as a service has proven to be beneficial to the massive corporations like Electronic Arts and Activision. There is obviously a large player base that plays these type of games and jumps from one MMO to the next. I do really wish single player games were the norm as these offers richer storylines and a longevity to most people. It seems to me that people's attention spans and lack of time for playing games have become so short that online multiplayer games thrive in the world of Twitter and youtube videos. I'm not saying that it is all bad as I myself have played games such as World of Warcraft & Unreal Tournament when that was a thing. I fondly remember those experiences and found them worth my time. However, the Witcher 3, Skyrim, and Half-Life 2 type games are the ones that impacted me the most in the gaming-verse.

[Puzzle044]

This is certainly an intriguing topic.

I do agree, now days I generally don't play online-only multiplayer games unless someone else I know personally is also playing at the time.
That said though, I don't really regret my time spent playing those games alone.

Somewhat on the topic of personal connection;
I must say, despite Splatoon not having voice chat (which I think it's exclusion is definitely for the best.), it really has a nice sense of community.
Being able to see typed or drawn messages in the hub area that were made by the players you recently battled was a rather brilliant idea that went a surprisingly long way.
Not to mention the atmosphere during Splatfests is really something else, seeing the player base passionately cheer on their team as they all battle to ultimately decide whether or not orange juice is better with or without pulp is quite the silly & fun experience.

[MacLovin]

it's not a big deal imo.

like, just enjoy the game

[Kahvi]

7 hours ago, Ronnie said:

That being said, none of my friends have a Switch besides me so it's pointless to get the game. At least with games like Mario Kart and Smash Bros., I can enjoy their local multiplayer with my friends when they come over and have a blast.

That is exactly why I have to play games online. None of my irl friends own a Switch (at least as far as I'm aware of) or really care for games I like, so the only way I can play games with any actual person is through online play. I mean, I'm sure they'd find some enjoyment out of Smash but I doubt it would keep them interested for too long, since it's a "kidz game". So local multiplayer isn't really an option.

[Light Strategist]

1 hour ago, Kahvi said:

That is exactly why I have to play games online. None of my irl friends own a Switch (at least as far as I'm aware of) or really care for games I like, so the only way I can play games with any actual person is through online play. I mean, I'm sure they'd find some enjoyment out of Smash but I doubt it would keep them interested for too long, since it's a "kidz game". So local multiplayer isn't really an option.

The Mario Bros getting to beat the tar out of Solid Snake or Bayonetta won't keep them interested for too long? Uuuhhh... tried looking at the prospect of endless catastrophes you can use in multiplayer modes with items on or features like the Multi-Man modes where you're endlessly set upon by enemies for a pre-determined period of time. Just because something is aimed at children, doesn't mean adults can't enjoy it too! Heck, look at Pokémon!

[Zera]

On 8/12/2018 at 9:10 PM, Ronnie said:

Games with online-only multiplayer rely solely on the player base. Once that player base dies down and/or the company shuts down the servers, then it's an obsolete game.

I would not worry about games dying. Good games last forever - you'll still find online matches for Smash 4, which has been out for 4 years. If a game dies, that usually means the sequel is out, so you can jump ship at your leisure.

[Reality]

I used to share the feeling with the OP, but nowadays, I play online and online-multiplayer games a lot more frequently.

 

While single player and couch-multiplayer games can lead to endless hours of entertainment, the latter is on terms - while you have siblings, and later, while you have a college dorm (or can invite people over regularly) then they do really feel like the ideal form of multiplayer, but after college - being able to play multiplayer regularly can be difficult -

Now I don't doubt that bomberman, smashbros, Worms, and Mario Party aren't still a ton of fun with very little prep time or need for all people to have experience... but actually getting them all into a living room together is not just something I can do naturally anymore... Things like Clubs and college oriented youth groups and sports groups (which usually let alumni hang on membership wise in my experience) can help, but even still, the couch experience becomes something you can only enjoy once a week or once only 2 weeks.

And so, to talk about "plunging" into online play - it is something that is pretty paradoxical.... In some ways, I love the sense of an online community, while in other ways, I love the so called "faceless" player base. To go through examples - when I play competitive pokemon on Smogon's simulators within individual rooms (usually the past gens room) I am very vocal with the regulars and we talk a lot, but I spend just as much, if not more time, jumping into random auto-generated tournaments, or on the ladder... Sometimes it's possible to be a little chatty in a ladder battle, but most pass in silence after "GL hf" at the beginning. Often the most talktative ones is when  newer opponents  take time out mid battle to discuss why they're surprised at each other's teambuilding.... In a tournament, even an auto-generated tournament, specators from the lobby will jump into most of the matches, but especially semi finals and finals... either player can simply mute, but I find it often just as enjoyable to showboat and openly play mindgames with my opponents despite the loss of consistency and unnecessary risk... it's simply a fun time among people who might not be "friend" level, but are like minded enough to talk with briefly.

In other online games, I have a more personal connection to very small groups of people (eg the Clan dynamic) but even in those I find that more total playtime is spent with randoms than the group - often my dedicated groups are of the kind that burn themselves out - time trial groups or ranked clans... it can be a relief to play games with randoms  who have a fresh perspective instead of going at 11 all the time.... and who will be fine with relaxing for an evening instead of asking for some ungodly 4 hour grind I do love these people 

I also find that things like World of tanks or a modernish FPS (in my case Insurgency for the last few years) which are the most totally depednent on online play with strangers  don't feel as short lived as you would expect ...- Insurgency is very much a game destined to be shelfed once the playerbase migrates to Sandstorm, but I have no proplem with that fact. I used to think myself superior to say, Halo players, and Unreal Tournament players, since the servers for one of their games collapse when the next game came out... but now I don't really see video game expense to time really working that pass - At best I can thin of my time in Insurgency as still being a 5-year long season... and while the game won't be something I will go back too once the servers die, that doesn't mean that those 5 years were "bad"... On the contrary, many of the SP games I could have played "for superior replay value and longevity" even very good ones, will not stand a candle to the fun I had in that game.... I don't even see going from one game to another as a problem.

And I say all this, while also being a consummate retro collector --- I have literal cabinets worth of 4th and 5th gen games (and I do go back and replay about 15 start to finish per year) but the idea that started my collection - That if I had enough, I would be able to cycle between the "great games" for the rest of my life without wanting new ones due to foretting what the experience was like for the first ones if the list reached the proper size -..... is something that I now consider ridicuous... It's not because I suddenly think they've aged badly, but it'really about my memory being a lot stronger than my naive younger self believed, and that playing something for the first time IS a better way to capture my imagination and attention, and "something I've forgotten due to not going at it in a long time" while close, isn't exactly the same....

I don't consider online play quite as magical as couch-multiplayerr (where even very repetitive games like Rampage: World Tour and Gauntlent:Dark Legacy can become all time favorites) but that doesn't mean that online interactions can't be quite  Real and lead to a group - even a gamewide playerbase that presupposes even learning anyone's name - having a great and chummy time together. This and the realities of setting up and enjoying couch-multiplayer after college as an adult >< make me enjoy online play  more and more.