Why Online Multiplayer Isn't That Important

cyrus_zuo writes "GameTunnel has published an article on why they believe online multiplayer is over-rated. Specifically, author Russell Carrol feels that multi-player is only at its best when you have an emotional connection to the people you're playing against. In his words: 'Multiplayer gaming is awesome, don't get me wrong, but I don't think that online multiplayer modes are all that great. Unless I'm playing in the same room as the person I'm playing against, I lose the emotional and physical connection that makes multiplayer games fun. .. It's like going to a party where you drink and dance by yourself in your living room, and connect to everyone else through headsets, video cameras and HD TVs. No matter how you look at it, the end result is a lame party.'"

the key is good communication

[no_opinion]

From personal experience, I'd say that you can have a fantastic time with complete strangers if everyone is playing with the same objective and attitude, and communicating well enough that the team can coordinate its strategy. There's nothing more satisfying (in the game context, of course) than a coordinated and simultaneously executed diversion, attack, and defense to win the game.

Re:Pfft.

[Red Flayer]

Funny, but it strikes me that he's the opposite of a n00b (what would that be, a b11n?)

Frankly, in a get-off-my-lawn kind of way, I can't stand talking on the cell phone in public, text messaging all the time, etc. Maybe it's my old (relatively) age, but it seems to me that someone who grew up without purely digital relationships will be uncomfortable with them their whole life.

I suspect that younger gamers have developed an aptitude for making emotional connections online that older gamers have not -- and this is the root of Russell's problem.

Re:Ah...logic...too subtle for many to grasp...

[Dorceon]

It's more like, "I don't like coffee, so stop charging me for coffee I don't want, delaying my breakfast until the coffee is ready, and telling me coffee is the drink of the future."

Re:good analogy

[bigstrat2003]

plus the occasional "let me see where you are hiding" trip to the other teams monitors.

Ironically, this is the one thing that causes me to favor online gaming over in-person gaming. I consider looking at people's screens (unavoidable to some extent on a split-screen console game, to be fair) cheating, nothing else. It's using information that your opponent doesn't have, information acquired outside the confines of the game, to gain an advantage over them. My friends who I play with don't do this, but people who do give me incentive really quickly to no longer play with them.

Re:Pfft.

[SetupWeasel]

Well you called the author a n00b. I thought it was open season.

Your thousands upon thousands do not stand up to the millions upon millions that don't give a shit. You give no weight because you disagree, and much like every moron discussion in this godforsaken internet, you feel no reason to temper your own remarks with the possibility that other people think differently.

I find that the most pointless position in any argument is that everything is fine. I find that listening to those who don't like something to be far more enlightening than listening to someone who says nothing bad about it.

Re:yes, xbox live.

[bigman2003]

My experience with the jerks on Xbox Live has been mixed, but there are ways to reduce the number of idiots in a game. First- get good at the game. Call of Duty 2 or Halo are good examples. If you rank low, you will play against other people who rank low. These people are not very serious about playing the game, and therefore spend more time screwing around and causing people problems. I encouraged my friends to play COD2...and they initially told me that everyone they played against was a freakin' idiot. I played on their accounts a few times, and I would agree...75% of the players were morons, and would prove thier stupidity very enthusastically. But, after playing for a bit, and ranking up (takes a few days/week) you can move above the cesspool and into an area where people WANT to play the game, and they are serious enough to use tactics. AND, because you have ranked up through your own skill, you can be an asset to the team, therefore they won't give you a hard time. On the other hand, some people don't want to spend the time, or they don't have the skillz to rank up. In that case, I would recommend only playing player matches where one of their friends is the host...and therefore can boot jackasses. I've played a LOT of games that way, and it doesn't take long to get a good room with people who are interested in playing. And once they know you'll boot out the assholes, the good players are more likely to stay.