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[Men_in_Boxes]

I used to listen to a lot of Colin Moriarty back in the day (ex IGN, ex Kinda Funny, Sacred Symbols). He was the first gamer I recall who openly despised multiplayer games. I found this surprising as I assumed all gamers appreciated both single player and multiplayer to some degree. He seems to enjoy 2D platformers like Mega Man and Castlevania as well as turn based strategy games like Tactics Ogre.

I've tried to understand why he dislikes multiplayer and from what I've gathered by the things he's said, he seems to dislike the social aspect. He doesn't like people screaming in his ear and prefers to be left alone when playing games. Introverts gonna introvert, supposedly.

This never quite sat right with me because there are tons of multiplayer games that can be enjoyed by yourself. For example, I (a multiplayer gamer) spent the first 50-100 hours of Fortnite playing solo queue. Games like Rocket League, Overwatch,. Hearthstone, Street Fighter etc...can be thoroughly enjoyed without ever talking to, or hearing another person as long as you turn off chat. In my mind, Fortnite solo queue is essentially a better Mega Man. You get more interesting abilities and the bad guys are significantly more interesting and diverse in their behavior.

So why do single player gamers ACTUALLY dislike multiplayer? That's what I came here to find out.

As a multiplayer gamer (still have hope in single player games) I've come to identify two main faults with multiplayer...

1) Most first person and third person multiplayer games, which make up the bulk of mainstream multiplayer, are essentially John Wick games. He who shoots quicker and more accurately wins. If you're not a John Wick (poor reflexes, low mechanical skill) you essentially become the baddies John Wick kills in the movies. Gears of War, Halo, Counter Strike, Overwatch...all essentially John Wick games to various degrees.

Lesson: People like Colin Moriarty want to be "left alone" by enemies who make them feel like the guy on the right. We all want to be John Wick.

2) The repetitive nature of multiplayer games. I've espoused the brilliance of Fortnite to all who would listen, largely for one reason. The game does an exceptional job of making every engagement feel different. However, most games ask you to do the same thing over and over again with very little variation. Your 2nd kill in Call of Duty (non BR) feels an awful lot like your 14th kill. Same weapon, same TTK, same small map. Scoring one goal in Rocket League feels very much like any other goal. Single player games do a better job at giving players context. Killing an evil, difficult, antagonist feels more rewarding to the player. It's this in game form...

Lesson: People like Colin Moriarty want to "feel" like they're progressing. Single player games feed gamers narrative that makes gameplay feel different.

Anyway, I'm a poor writer (earned many Cs in English classes) but if you're still with me, let me know what you think is the main issue regarding the multiplayer genre. Can you see a potential "fix" that would get you into a multiplayer game?

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I loved multiplayer stuff when I was younger and had lots of time. I also mostly played with friends, and even for online stuff like Starcraft, Quake, and Counterstrike, the Internet was still young and rather small. You didn't have all of this pro-gamer Twitch eSports shit where you're always being exposed to thousands of people who are wizards at the same games you play. Going to be honest, but the existence of a pro scene makes me less interested in playing. I might be in the minority, but it feels like every multiplayer game has some kind of metagoal where you have to get legit good at the game compared to the rest of the world and I've got no time or interest for that.

 

[Harts316]

I’m just bad when I play against other people. I’m not afraid to admit that I suck. I tried to get into Call of Duty and Battlefield years ago, but my k/d ratio never improved and I spent all my time getting killed.

I feel like unless I have tons of hours a week to play a game I’ll never get good enough to be competitive.

 

[Majima Everywhere System]

The fun part is getting good. Once I start to consistently win, it feels hollow almost immediately.

I got good in SFIV several years in. My challenge was to get the 10 wins in a row achievement. That kept me going way longer than any other multiplayer game. Because going 7, 8, or 9 wins was some real shit. Most if not all the noobs were gone. Call of Duty, if I am on top for 3 matches, I figure my time is better spend beating a single player game. I don't want to level up, get better weapons or any of that.

 

[Decontamination Silo]

The pause button is a big one for me.

 

[bitbydeath]

Multiplayer just often feels like I’m wasting my time which could be better spent elsewhere since you don’t get anything out of it.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Timely video came up on my feed.

This is the vibe I get from anything multiplayer these days:

 

[Iced Arcade]

I prefer online co-op with friends.

It's obnoxious playing multiplayer when people take it too series instead of having fun.

 

[Radrigal]

I love specific types of multiplayer games, but dislike all the rest. I gravitate towards those with drop-in-and-play type ones. Those that don't need or require me to use voice chat or chat in general. Any content that hinges on my ability to communicate and strategize with others is a big turn off because I don't have any IRL friends who play games. So my only option is to play random queue all the time and for content that requires you to coordinate, it really, really sucks. I love Monster Hunter, but World/Iceborne still bummed me out when it started with the raid bosses that needed a full team just to even have a shot of beating them. Playing casual on Dota 2 is okay tho, because it's toxic whatever you do.

I also started to hate multiplayer and/or co-op that felt to me was mandatory. There was a time when every game that was coming out had a co-op aspect and basically gimped you or locked you out of content for playing alone. Singleplayer is still where its at. But since everyone discovered that GaaS is where the big bucks are so there's also an overabundance of every studio trying to get their piece of the pie and failing to do so, and we're the ones stuck with terrible games.

 

[THEAP99]

I used to play multiplayer games till the cows come home back in the day.

These days, i can play a few matches but after that I am bored. I want more meat to the experience, I need an immersive story to keep me going. And ultimately most multiplayer games on console suck ass these days. They are incomplete with boring-ass battle passed they're like all the same these days.

Not only that, but I am in the belief that e-sports has ruined franchises like COD.

Here are some good tweets I read the other day exposing how shady Activision's practices are.









I simply can't support it. Multiplayer games on console these games are made just to get u to spend money, that's it. No reflection whatsoever. Just all influencer-driven hype-driven crap.

I agree with you that Fortnite actually did kinda switch up the gameplay a bit and kudos to them for that, but I find the monetization and general influencer-driven childish skins factor of that game to ruin it. Plus bloom.

In short though, I've grown up and want more meat and meaning to what I game rather than just temporary dopamine hits. in a way, multiplayer games are like instagram and social media. I mean literally the other day when I played black ops cold war with some buddies all everyone did in the party was complain. COD honestly i think ruins people mentally. I played a lot of cod i absolutely loved black ops 1, 2, and 3. But I mean i've grown up and moved on. I am passed that.

 

[OnionSnake]

My issues with multiplayer games boil down to two things, longevity and budget seizing. Multiplayer games tend to be built to be played forever, like you said there is no actual sense of progress. They go on and on and on forever. Because of this there is defined “end point” nor any cool “checkpoints”. It grows boring rather quickly and overstays it’s welcome.

the second annoyance for me is that multiplayer games require more time to invest and generally take more of the budget, this can be in the form of taking all future content development like in GTA V’s online but can also affect things like bioshock 2 having its tacked on multiplayer which took time/developers away from the single player content that most people wanted.

I’m not against multiplayer games inherently but It’s very unlikely I would buy a multiplayer game at full price especially multiplayer only is a no go.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Timely video came up on my feed.

This is the vibe I get from anything multiplayer these days:

None of that is multiplayer.

Multiplayer is what you experience after the splash screen and before you shut it off.

AKA Gameplay.

That's just weird marketing that's awkwardly trying to capitalize on the success of multiplayer games.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

My issues with multiplayer games boil down to two things, longevity and budget seizing. Multiplayer games tend to be built to be played forever, like you said there is no actual sense of progress. They go on and on and on forever. Because of this there is defined “end point” nor any cool “checkpoints”. It grows boring rather quickly and overstays it’s welcome.

the second annoyance for me is that multiplayer games require more time to invest and generally take more of the budget, this can be in the form of taking all future content development like in GTA V’s online but can also affect things like bioshock 2 having its tacked on multiplayer which took time/developers away from the single player content that most people wanted.

I’m not against multiplayer games inherently but It’s very unlikely I would buy a multiplayer game at full price especially multiplayer only is a no go.

Do you have the premise, or elevator pitch, for a multiplayer only game you'd be interested in playing?

If some AAA developer was like "OnionSnake, you're our new creative director. Tell us what kind of multiplayer game you want made..."

 

[Deleted member 17706]

None of that is multiplayer.

Multiplayer is what you experience after the splash screen and before you shut it off.

AKA Gameplay.

That's just weird marketing that's awkwardly trying to capitalize on the success of multiplayer games.

That's the culture that now surrounds multiplayer gaming to me. I know, I know. I'm probably just an old curmudgeon. I just hate how everything is battle pass esports business model influencer program gaming chair react cam Twitch sponsorship Redbull prize pool team tournaments or whatever else. It's just so extremely off putting that I can't give any game that partakes an honest go.

 

[Meicyn]

I play Red Dead Online and Elite Dangerous for my multiplayer experience, and I still play single player games too whether it’s God of War or Trails of Cold Steel III.

They’re all fun.

 

[Sakura]

I've just gotten bored of it. I used to play multiplayer a lot when I was a kid, but now it doesn't interest me.
It's just the same shit over and over again. There is no progress, no interesting story, just hundreds of hours I could've spent playing through 100 different other games having unique experiences each time.
I still play some multiplayer with friends now and again, but I don't buy multiplayer games any more, and don't touch it if a game has it.

 

[Hendrick's]

Battle Royale killed mp.

 

[Woggleman]

I have no issue with it but when once great franchises like GTA are watered down in order to accommodate it I admit I do get a little salty.

 

[Danjin44]

I always enjoy playing alone more than with others.....I just don't like other people interfere in my gaming time.

 

[OnionSnake]

Do you have the premise, or elevator pitch, for a multiplayer only game you'd be interested in playing?

If some AAA developer was like "OnionSnake, you're our new creative director. Tell us what kind of multiplayer game you want made..."

Interesting question, I think for a multiplayer only game to be compelling (to me) it has to be something that could only exist in a multiplayer space. Games like ultima online or Star Wars galaxies had this, where there was a lot of emergent and fostered gameplay around communities. So some fashion of MMO with a reason to group up and work together as social beings outside of just playing with your friends. EVE online would be a modern example I suppose but the core gameplay of that doesn’t seem interesting enough to verify. Hopefully that’s not too vague of an idea

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Interesting question, I think for a multiplayer only game to be compelling (to me) it has to be something that could only exist in a multiplayer space. Games like ultima online or Star Wars galaxies had this, where there was a lot of emergent and fostered gameplay around communities. So some fashion of MMO with a reason to group up and work together as social beings outside of just playing with your friends. EVE online would be a modern example I suppose but the core gameplay of that doesn’t seem interesting enough to verify. Hopefully that’s not too vague of an idea

Nope, that's essentially mine as well. I like the idea of interacting with opponents on a more interesting level than simply shooting at eachother. Trading, negotiating, forming alliances etc...

I'm hoping that becomes the next explosion in the industry.

 

[LordOfChaos]

It's not dislike of a thing, it's like of another, for me. Single player campaigns have a narrative and changing levels as you progress through. Multiplayer is fine for some mindless action, but I spend a minority of my gaming time there.

It's funny that you give Fortnite as a best example of multiplayer, for me it's some that I disliked the most, the gameplay feels, I don't know, rubber band-ey, not responsive, some of my favorite MP has been Titanfall 2 because of the high degree of mobility.

 

[Guilty_AI]

I think its more a matter of competitiveness, many people can find the idea of competing against other players to be too stressful.
Theres also the issue of when you're forced to interact or cooperate with strangers in some other games, it can also be stressful in a different way due to others players unpredictable nature.

 

[Jeeves]

I like multiplayer, but there are definitely times when I'm not in the mood. To speak on what puts me off from multiplayer games when I'm not in the mood for them...it is the social aspect, but a broader definition of it than the one you used. It doesn't matter if there's chat or not. Knowing that there's a person behind the character on screen makes it a social interaction. Sometimes I just don't want to get into a pissing match with someone or be silently judged by them or whatever. Sometimes that's more anxiety than fun.

I guess some people just feel like that all the time?

 

[OnionSnake]

Nope, that's essentially mine as well. I like the idea of interacting with opponents on a more interesting level than simply shooting at eachother. Trading, negotiating, forming alliances etc...

I'm hoping that becomes the next explosion in the industry.

I also really enjoyed the hands off approach devs seemed to take back then. Even in RuneScape their PVP area the wilderness felt truly wild with open PVP, crazy demons and runes within. When the division came out and they had the “DMZ” I thought it would be a similar type of area, but instead you get instanced into a small section of 8 players and it’s more... neutered.

it’s lame to say it but multiplayer gaming like that just feels so corporatized at this point and very hands on instead of community focused.

 

[Vick]

Buying games with expiration dates is beyond moronic and masochistic.. it really boils down to that.

Spoiler

Unless games are nothing more than consumables for you, and in that case GTFO of my hobby anyway.

 

[Mr Nash]

Mostly the lack of a pause button. In a single-player game, I can be a selfish PoS and wander away whenever I want, but suddenly I'm expected to have some modicum of social intelligence and respect the time of those around me in a multiplayer game. Fuuuuuuck that.

 

[Cornbread78]

I play MP, buuuut.
The "git gud" or "sweats" bitching about SBMM is old af.

They just want to stat pad to artificially boost their k/d epein...... grow up, nobody cares.... let everyone else have fun at their own level

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Buying games with expiration dates is beyond moronic and masochistic.. it really boils down to that.

Spoiler

Unless games are nothing more than consumables for you, and in that case GTFO of my hobby anyway.

You actually make a good point here.

Everyone, stop going to concerts, traveling the world, playing pickup basketball, eating at Michelin rated restaurants, or making love with a beautiful woman (or man for the gays) in Marseille. Collect things, not experiences!

All of these experiences will pass, never to be recaptured again! Love only things that can never leave you, as this is a life well lived!

Live as Smaug lived.

 

[GreyHorace]

Nothing against multiplayer games, except when publishers insist that it should be the standard rather than the exception.

I play games for my own amusement on the occasions when my time allows it. I don't care to join other people in my hobby.

 

[Vick]

You actually make a good point here.

Everyone, stop going to concerts, traveling the world, playing pickup basketball, eating at Michelin rated restaurants, or making love with a beautiful woman (or man for the gays) in Marseille. Collect things, not experiences!

All of these experiences will pass, never to be recaptured again! Love only things that can never leave you, as this is a life well lived!

Live as Smaug lived.

I do not pay for sex, nor friends, nor most real life experiences.
And when i pay for pieces of entertainment, i want to be able to go back to whenever the fuck i want.

Wanted to play Battlefront last night.. i couldn't, despite owning the game, a platform to run it, the DLCs and an Internet connection.

You may be happy with this shit, i am not.

I went to a Springsteen concert, had a blast, and then Bruce left me and I'm like "Bernie Babies don't leave me, they only appreciate in value".

We see things differently.
To the point i feel like i'm talking to a corporate. Enjoy your games while they last.

 

[Zeeed]

1) After a day of working and talking with people, the last thing I want to do is interact online with people.
2) It's hard to pretend/immerse yourself into a game like COD when your wingman sounds like a 9 your old kid singing Eminem while trying to teabag a down player.
3) The last "multiplayer" game I liked was Warframe because (in my opinion) they did multiplayer right. You can be a solo player, be a PVE co-op player, and be a PVP player without feeling like you were missing out on the rest. They didn't offer too big of exclusive rewards for PVP, so you never felt like you had to PVP to get powerful stuff.

But I eventually stopped playing Warframe (played it for 3 years) because like you mentioned, it got repetitive. And that brings me to my 4th point.

4) There are way too many games out there nowadays to be stuck playing a multiplayer game that technically has no ending. These days, I want to play a game, finish it, go onto the next game. I have a huge backlog, LOL!

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

I do not pay for sex, nor friends, nor most real life experiences.
And when i pay for pieces of entertainment, i want to be able to go back to whenever the fuck i want.

Wanted to play Battlefront last night.. i couldn't, despite owning the game, a platform to run it, the DLCs and an Internet connection.

You may be happy with it this shit, i am not.

I went to a Springsteen concert, had a blast, and then Bruce left me and I'm like "Beanie Babies don't leave me, they only appreciate in value".

 

[Lethal01]

I don't really hate Multiplayer it's just that the only thing that I like about multiplayer games is having opponents with really good "AI"
Pretty much everything that comes with it is a negative. Don't want to wait for people to join or rely on a team or have to hear 10 year olds yelling in the background.
Don't want the random opponents. When I lose I wanna be able to redo that exact scenario.
Don't want a game to every become unplayable because other people aren't playing it.

Once again, for me multiplayer means enemies with really good AI. Every other element is just something I have to deal with to get that.

 

[Rayderism]

Can't pause. I mean, dude, I drink beer and have to piss every 20 minutes.

I don't wish to learn how much I actually suck at competitive games. I'm 52, blind in one eye, wear glasses for the one eye I have left and couldn't possibly keep up with those young whippersnapper kids and their faster reaction times. I'd get slaughtered before I even figured out what was going on. My hardcore days are a couple of decades behind me.

I'm 100% digital this gen (and will be next gen) and don't wish to have my PSN account of over 900 games get banned because I might "offend" some whiny wuss with a seemingly innocuous comment that they might get all screechy over.

No, I'll just stick with my single-player games and brain-dead AI whose actions I can anticipate and manipulate.....and can pause when I need to pee.

 

[Phase]

As someone who used to play arena fps religiously (and now basically just plays single player games) I'll just say this.

Online games used to put the focus on the team over the individual. There used to be simple but very fun and focused modes like CTF, One-flag, Assault, King of the hill, deathmatch, etc. Games like Tribes, UT, Quake, CS, even Battlefield are designed in a way that emphasizes the importance of communication. That's really missing today. Current games are designed around the individual and not the team.

Also arena fps is basically six feet under at the moment, but that's another discussion.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

As someone who used to play arena fps religiously (and now basically just plays single player games) I'll just say this.

Online games used to put the focus on the team over the individual. There used to be simple but very fun and focused modes like CTF, One-flag, Assault, King of the hill, deathmatch, etc. Games like Tribes, UT, Quake, CS, even Battlefield are designed in a way that emphasizes the importance of communication. That's really missing today. Current games are designed around the individual and not the team.

Also arena fps is basically six feet under at the moment, but that's another discussion.

Recently started playing Overwatch again and I'm amazed at how hard it is to make "friends" in that game.

Fortnite and Splinter Cell Spies vs Mercs had me filling up my friends lists in a few days because they were so conducive to letting you actually talk to teammates. Beautiful pacing in both games.

Overwatch is simply telling the Torb to switch because we're on attack. Love Overwatch but I essentially play that game without a headset.

 

[LordBlodgett]

It's all about time for me. Before I was married with kids multiplayer gaming was fine. I spent a ton of time getting good at Halo 1-3, MW 1 & 2, and the first black ops. Problem now is just time. Whenever I try to get into a multiplayer now it takes forever to get used to, and then everyone is far better than me. Unless a multiplayer game can get me into a match quickly, and I actually feel like I can do ok without dedicating my life to it then I'm not going to waste my time on it anymore.

That doesn't mean I've completely gotten away from MP games though. Whenever I have that multiplayer itch I will drop in to Halo 5, MCC, Titanfall 1 or 2, or Rocket League. There is a reason that each of these games appeal to me though. The benefit to Halo MCC and Halo 5 is that I spent many years playing Halo multiplayer, so even if I'm not great I won't get destroyed. Titanfall 1 & 2 make me feel like I'm helping out my team even if I'm only wiping out AI controlled enemies, so I don't really feel like I have to devote my life to help my team win. Rocket League is interesting because it is really easy to get into and I feel like the matchmaking is excellent.

 

[hemo memo]

No real progression/ A big time investment with no end goal. The closest multiplayer game that I really enjoyed was Destiny 2 because it is a multiplayer game WITH progression to your play. But when I went back to the game and found out that they moved up EVERYONE to a certain power level I just said what’s the point and deleted it. “The point is having fun” Well, I have fun knowing that I can finish a game and understand the story and watch the credits and simply move on to another experience/something new. In a lot of way it is even more healthier to the industry as a whole because you are buying from different sources. When with multiplayer, you are just giving money to the same company (Epic, I’m looking at you).

Yes imagine stuck at watching the God Father trilogy for years. Yeah great but have you watched the Matrix? No dude I just watch the God Father.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Really appreciating these responses. Keep em coming.

 

[nkarafo]

I play games for the world building and atmosphere. Multiplayer rarely offers me that. I do like local multiplayer but thats niche now.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Yes imagine stuck at watching the God Father trilogy for years. Yeah great but have you watched the Matrix? No dude I just watch the God Father.

But did you check out this season's Made Man Pass bonus costume? It's Fredo all dressed up in a calzone costume!!!

 

[DJTHEGREY]

People hate games they don't play, when the trend starts to influence their favorite games or genres. For example turn based Rpgs turning into action RPGs (Final Fantasy). Single player games planning DLC ahead of time or having "Gaaas"(?) features. I love the variety of game offerings nowadays and variety of gamer types. Even if I don't particularly care for the game that's popular at the moment. Sometimes it's not what you play but how you play it. People hate warzone.... But when you play with friends and communicate it's very fun (tried for the first time today). Same with games like The Division... It can be fun alone.... But with a good group (the way it's ment to be played). It's very fun. With so much variety, there is something for everyone.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

I fucking hate multi-player centered games since they can only be played (as intended) with others. So once people move on you have a soul crushing emptiness when you revisit said game. Or melancholy. Yes.

 

[Tschumi]

The main reason i prefer SP to MP is i can play at my pace with my own thought patterns.. i play age of empires to build settlements, not to replicate pre planned strategies ASAP by rote.

I like to creep around in shooters, inching around corners, not fucking bunny hoping around getting one shot by people who devote their waking hours to memorising every corner their opponent's heads will pop out of...

For these reasons i can play games like FIFA, or maybe gwent, because everyone kinda plays them at the same speed and solves the same kind of problems. I'm naturally good enough at those games to be happy with my chances...

I fucking hate multi-player centered games since they can only be played (as intended) with others. So once people move on you have a soul crushing emptiness when you revisit said game. Or melancholy. Yes.

@SLoWMoTIoN (quotes don't copy right in this new chat box)

Vanilla wow private server, story of my life.. a hundred friends, a thousand memories, 60s in great gear, lead pug raids of 20 man raid twice a week and know my ot, etc, by heart.. promoted officers, discussed gear distribution, whatever.. then Kronos just cease giving a fuck and my toons are pointless. Barely remember the pwords.

 

[iQuasarLV]

I feel like this is a troll post by either a PR person trying to find the next angle of cutting edge mentality to exploit of someone who hasn't got enough gaming behind them to form a historical look at gaming.

Also, I am loathe to type up a damn essay to really express how I feel about multiplayer, BUT you caught me on an off week where I have free time on my hands.
So lets try it out.

Multiplayer in games today is not multiplayer of games five, 10, or 15 years ago. The industry (yes the video game industrial complex) moves in faster and faster cycles. We are seeing the developmental shifts of game design in almost a production cycle by cycle basis. Every 18-36 months breeds some new 'innovative' idea these days. Games in the 1990s were focused on interpersonal gameplay. Games in the 2000s were centered around LAN play, and dabbling in the occasional rudimental online experiences. Games in the 2010s focused on GAAS (Games As A Service), Advertising, Influencer programming, and perceived mass pandering. Notice how in the last 10 years more cycles have been tested than any decade before it. I will attempt to explain why those of us older-to-know-better avoid the shit-trash pandered to those young enough to not know better.

In the 1990s most of us were teenagers or just born. Video games were experiencing their second renaissance and just beginning to surpass the arcade in profit value. Games were still focused on the person to person coop experience and you mostly played with your friends with whom you shared a common interest. If you got the nerve, and your local town had a tournament, it was a big event of likeminded people celebrating the very game they all enjoyed as a mass audience. Much like a fan-con is today. Multiplayer was coop focused. Mario Kart is a prime example. You and up to four friends could duke it out and have common ground to enjoy the game on a school day afternoon. It was focused on the internal experience inside the home.

In the 2000s the internet opened up the video game world to a new avenue of exposure. No longer were games relegated to basements at a friends house, garages, or weekend office building's LAN parties. You could embrace your favorite game on a mass scale. However, with a broadened audience came the issue of combating personalities doing verbal battle in chatrooms and Ventrilo voice chats over who had the better viewpoint. Things began to get more personal, more obsessive. The need to be vindicated and RIGHT started breeding the early days of toxic mentality. It was everywhere. In StarCraft lobbies, in Quake 3 Arena servers, in MMO games, in Halo pre-matches, and in sporting games voice chats.

Also began the need for corporate managers to insert their megalomaniacal personal touch into something that never was pitched to include in the first place. Oblivion had their first DLC ever the $2 horse armor. RPGs needed to come with multiplayer components for no reason, but because more g4mers in test groups piped up and said they enjoyed multiplayer alongside single player experiences. You got abominations like White Knight Chronicles, BioShock 2, and Dead Space 2 etc. etc. with out of place multiplayer as though it felt tacked on as an after thought.

From 2010-2015 gamers hit a stride like no other. Publishers found the Goose that laid the golden egg, and oh lord did they milk that poor goose until it was a skeleton shitting empty husks of fake gold. Gamers latched onto breakout games like League of Legends, DOTA 2, Street Fighter 4, Tekken, Madden NFL, and more were being broadcast on the internet in seasonal / yearly droves. Gamers became 15-minute heroes as they won tournaments, and hated personalities when they lost after opening their mouths on social media. Corporate publishers saw potential and began to stoke the flames of interjection once again. ESPN was tapped. Las Vegas casinos were tapped. Advertising was tapped. No longer were you watching your next door neighbor play to the pinnacle of tournament godhood. You were now watching the birth of e-Sports and the factory assembly line pumping of personalities bedecked in clothing of the latest team advertising like they were living NASCAR vehicles. With this came the mentality shift away from friendly competition and regional pride in one's circle of influence, and the dawn of the toxic CHAD that had to win at all costs. The player who couldn't lose because they had a bad game, but were teamed with shit players beneath their tier of ungodly skill forcing them to lose. With it came the shit talking in pre/post game rooms that were now voice only. With it came the in game harassment of nonconforming play styles. With it came the hostility of the noob, other, girlfriend, kid gamer, , old person playing with grandkids. With it came a culture being programmed, bred, nurtured, and unleashed unto a world where the culture of the anonymous created an echo chamber of one. You could not possibly just suck, you could not possibly be toxic. It was everyone else. As long as you kept buying the product and the microtransactions the video game industrial complex was more than happy to string you along.

Finally we come to 2015-2020 where player 2 put their quarter on the machine. HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER. Identity politics. Enough said. With influencers and e-sports driving the machine of hype and personality development, the video game industrial complex was all too happy to let the social minority behind the wheel and drive game development. No longer was toxic alpha Chad personality the king of multiplayer. No-no. It was now a queen. That queens name was Bruce... I mean Caitlyn Jenner. With a great rallying cry on social media all multiplayer had to be gentrified into a political scope and spectrum into a rainbow of colors or else you couldn't play in this brave new world. Yet alpha-Chad couldn't relinquish the throne so easily and the toxic g4mer who was the dude bro in college and lived on beer and Halo in the 2000s had to fight back.

Conclusion: So, Here we are stuck in the middle beginning a new decade. The ones who love video games as a pure form of entertainment. Where multiplayer in its pure form would celebrate the achievements of the individual above others. That coop is to be a primary pursuit instead of a rare treat. That forced social interaction is not vilified for the sake of inclusiveness and accessibility. You ask why so many people hate multiplayer. I ask you, what fucking multiplayer are you talking about? Because your multiplayer sure as hell does not look like mine. what I would touch probably would sound archaic and absurd compared to what you gravitate towards. I hear so much mention of Fortnite. I new the second I saw the first 5 seconds of this game what it was. A pre-teen ADHD riddled moment to moment glorified ROBLOX of a game that caters more to the 9 year-old sense of taste than what I have become refined to. What kills multiplayer today for those of us who grew up with its infancy? GAAS. Corporate sponsorship. Influencer driven shilling. Forced Accessibility. Forced Inclusiveness. Pay to win. Forced microtransactions. Forced FOMO. Remaking, rehashing, and rereleasing the same shit we played before for another $60. I can only hope this sheds some light on your question in some sort of detail.

I leave you with examples of what I consider superior product vs. inferior multiplayer experiences
Borderlands 2 > Destiny 2
Vanilla World of Warcraft > Retail 15 year old World of Warcraft
Mass Effect 1 > Mass Effect 2 > Mass Effect 3
Street Fighter 3 > Street Fighter V
Star Wars Galaxies > World of Warcraft
Team Fortress 2 > Overwatch

 

[MilkyJoe]

The problem with multiplayer is people are fucking idiots.

 

[Cob32]

I think it’s competitive multiplayer I don’t really enjoy anymore. When I was younger I used to love it. Now after work and the kids are in bed I just want to chill at my own pace.

 

[Bartski]

Because people are insufferable cunts and unless you play with someone you really know, many of those you connect through matchmaking are in it not to have fun with you but at your expense.

I have to admit GoT: Legends has changed a lot in my attitude towards things here for the better but maybe I was lucky. I love PvE where you're just helpless without a team but then in matchmaking co-op, you come across many "experts" that just keep on patronizing and peer pressuring you and scolding you if you fail.

PvP can be just horrible where it's more often than not all about exploits, camping, ganking, owning the noobs rather than having a fair game, with bad net code on top. I've played tons of PvP in FROM games which can be both amazing fun or absolutely dreadful and demotivating, depending on who you come across. I remember being stoked for Red Dead Online and uninstalling it after about an hour of being shot on sight but just about every non NPC I encountered.

Voice chat, however, takes the cake and it's the first thing I always switch off if possible, but for teamwork you really can't. Some people just feel the need to comment on everything they see, make retarded unfunny jokes sounding like they're 12, some don't understand audio feedback and play with their TVs banging loud ruining audio for everyone else. Some have the audacity to play their own music in the background and somehow think that it's ok. It's just tiresome and irritating as fuck, maybe I'm antisocial but 9 out of 10 times I just can't stand it.

I loved TLOU Factions, I still play it 'to this day, so yeah it depends and I'm really looking forward to the sequel. I hope I'll be playing it with people I met in GoT: Legends, otherwise I know entry levels will be rough.