Thesis: Online Play Not For Casual Gamers

[FacelessNobody]

Does this piss anyone else off? It's finally gotten to me, so I'll whine...

Like the rest of you, I'll buy a game now and then, and many of those games can be played competitively online. It's always fun for a little while, but one thing never fails to piss me off: I get schooled. Badly, all the time, by many players I encounter. The problem is obvious: I'm not as skilled as the other players. An easy confession that introduces a vicious cycle: getting my ass kicked all the time is discouraging, so I play less often. I don't play that often to begin with, hence my lack of skill, so we're back at the beginning. It simply sucks for casual gamers to play against people who've devoted large chunks of their lives to whatever game they play.

Looks like I'll stick to single-player and the ever-elusive co-op games.

 

[Jeff7181]

Only way around that is to form a "clan" of people such as yourself who only play once or twice a week or something. Then it'll be a level playing field and maybe you'll have more fun. The other alternative is, like you said, sticking to single-player, which isn't all that bad considering how AI is rapidly improving.

 

[Queasy]

I think it depends on the game.

MMORPG definitely are not casual gamer conducive. Some games such as City of Heroes seem to be trying to address that problem however.

Battlefield Vietnam is good for casual gamers in my experience. I play maybe an hour or so a day whenever I have time right now and I do pretty well. And I am by no means an elite gamer.

Then there's always online chess.

 

[hdeck]

getting "schooled" shouldn't discourage you -- it should make you want to improve your game. the *only* way you are ever going to get better at competitive games is to play people that are better than you.

 

[PHiuR]

Originally posted by: FacelessNobody
Does this piss anyone else off? It's finally gotten to me, so I'll whine...

Like the rest of you, I'll buy a game now and then, and many of those games can be played competitively online. It's always fun for a little while, but one thing never fails to piss me off: I get schooled. Badly, all the time, by many players I encounter. The problem is obvious: I'm not as skilled as the other players. An easy confession that introduces a vicious cycle: getting my ass kicked all the time is discouraging, so I play less often. I don't play that often to begin with, hence my lack of skill, so we're back at the beginning. It simply sucks for casual gamers to play against people who've devoted large chunks of their lives to whatever game they play.

Looks like I'll stick to single-player and the ever-elusive co-op games.

just join n00b servers you n00b!

 

[FacelessNobody]

Originally posted by: hdeck
getting "schooled" shouldn't discourage you -- it should make you want to improve your game. the *only* way you are ever going to get better at competitive games is to play people that are better than you.

Precisely, but in order to get better, you have to play more. My play time is limited like most people's, and in turn so is the rate at which I can improve. That's the main issue.

 

[hdeck]

Originally posted by: FacelessNobody

Originally posted by: hdeck
getting "schooled" shouldn't discourage you -- it should make you want to improve your game. the *only* way you are ever going to get better at competitive games is to play people that are better than you.

Precisely, but in order to get better, you have to play more. My play time is limited like most people's, and in turn so is the rate at which I can improve. That's the main issue.

it's not really the time in which you have to play. it's more how quickly you are able to absorb what you learn in the time you have. also, if something like ut2k4 is the first online game you've ever played it will take much longer to get better.

 

[Bigblades]

Its like a guy on bash.org said about quake 3.

"Playing Quake 3 online is like trying to suck my own dick, I do it now and then to prove that I can. And I can't."

 

[Honkus]

Agreed

Getting my ass kicked repeatedly in online games is one boat I've been stuck in for a long time. As more time passes with the same results every time, my patience for online games is nearly gone. That leads to my biggest frustration - The so called "co-op games" are competitive too! So now I can play with my friends and still get my ass kicked. The last true cooperative game that I played was Diablo 2, and holy hell was I addicted (and damn good at the game, to boot). I wish game developers would get it through their heads that not everyone wants to work against other people.

 

[Insane3D]

I haven't played any games online other than a few times on Q3 awhile back. I stopped for the same reason you mentioned. I would get into a match, and be fragged like 8 million times before I could even get my bearings. It would be to the point as soon as I respawned, I was killed immediately again. It was so frustrating I almost put my hand through my monitor.


I ended up just sticking to the single player games, especially RPG's.

*shrug*

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: Honkus
Agreed

Getting my ass kicked repeatedly in online games is one boat I've been stuck in for a long time. As more time passes with the same results every time, my patience for online games is nearly gone. That leads to my biggest frustration - The so called "co-op games" are competitive too! So now I can play with my friends and still get my ass kicked. The last true cooperative game that I played was Diablo 2, and holy hell was I addicted (and damn good at the game, to boot). I wish game developers would get it through their heads that not everyone wants to work against other people.

Find a good noob server.

 

[Bigblades]

I work at a LAN gaming center. I got hired because I played a crapload of games and was a perfect person to lead teams sponsored by the gaming center. And now that I work there, I play games at work. I destroy most people I see on random servers online. They may be playing every last minute of free time they get, but now that I do it at work as well as home I'm damn near a professional.

Though I play a lot fewer games at home now.. .when ya play all day at work its kinda pointless to come home and play games.

Sorry if I'm the exact opposite of the rest of you, but if it makes you feel better I don't get laid much.

 

[FacelessNobody]

Originally posted by: Bigblades
I work at a LAN gaming center. I got hired because I played a crapload of games and was a perfect person to lead teams sponsored by the gaming center. And now that I work there, I play games at work. I destroy most people I see on random servers online. They may be playing every last minute of free time they get, but now that I do it at work as well as home I'm damn near a professional.

Though I play a lot fewer games at home now.. .when ya play all day at work its kinda pointless to come home and play games.

Sorry if I'm the exact opposite of the rest of you, but if it makes you feel better I don't get laid much.

LOL, at least you have a sense of humor about it, and sound like someone who'd be fun to play with/against online as opposed to all the jackasses whose vocabulary is limited to "newb, nub, n00b, and omg!"

 

[hdeck]

that's going to happen no matter what game you play. fortunately, there are skilled players that don't mind helping the "n00bs" out there, though they are few and far between.

 

[Bigblades]

I don't ever taunt anyone. Except my brother when I play against him. Since I've been playing games since I was like 12.. (I'm like 19 now) I started out as one of the total noobs who got a lot of crap from other players. I don't really like to discourage people from playing games because its something I enjoy so much, I don't like the idea of turning people off to it by being an ass about it. If I'm playing against people I could easily beat I usually just try to see what sort of funny stuff I can do. Keep myself at the top of the scoreboard by the slimmest margin possible, and then find out how far I can rocket jump without rocket chunking myself instead. Plus, since I work at a gaming center, it'd be kinda uncool for the admin to just go around destroying the paying customers, generally thats not good for business.

 

[Honkus]

Originally posted by: Howard: Find a good noob server.

If I truly cared enough to do so, I think it would be a difficult thing to find. Think about it - The hardcore gamer obviously plays to win. Why else would he devote so much time to one thing? It then makes sense that the hardcore gamer would be attracted to something like a noob server, because it's easy for him to wipe the floor with the "noobs". Besides, not being able to kick people's ass in games is not my main complaint. What I would like to see instead would be more truly cooperative games for us casual gamers.

 

[Bigblades]

I forget how to edit posts, so those 20-30 grammatical errors are going to have to slide. Sorry to anybody who holds the English language dear for my degredation of it.

 

[hdeck]

Originally posted by: Honkus

Originally posted by: Howard: Find a good noob server.

If I truly cared enough to do so, I think it would be a difficult thing to find. Think about it - The hardcore gamer obviously plays to win. Why else would he devote so much time to one thing? It then makes sense that the hardcore gamer would be attracted to something like a noob server, because it's easy for him to wipe the floor with the "noobs". Besides, not being able to kick people's ass in games is not my main complaint. What I would like to see instead would be more truly cooperative games for us casual gamers.

i tend to disagree. there are those who are good at games that enjoy ruining other people's time, but those are by no means the "hardcore gamers." hardcore gamers are those that compete in events like the cpl, quakecon, and wcg -- they play against the very best because they want to prove they are better. playing against a n00b proves nothing. also, most "hardcore gamers" don't even waste their time in public servers. just my observation, though.

 

[FacelessNobody]

Originally posted by: hdeck
that's going to happen no matter what game you play. fortunately, there are skilled players that don't mind helping the "n00bs" out there, though they are few and far between.

I know, immaturity and unkindness are an unfortunate inevitability. My first internet game was Quake in 1996, and it was an absolute blast. I played that a lot and did pretty well. Maybe since I'm on my eighth year of internet gaming I'm finally just getting jaded, though I know I'm a younggun comapred to many who probably still play regularly.

 

[OS]

So true. When I first went to college, I spent half my waking time playing quake or quake 2. Compared against most people on servers and disregarding my floormates, I was often the best. I'd school everyone, get like 10 kills a minute and mock everyone I had just killed cause I had talk lines bound to keys. It must have been really frustrating for anyone who was looking for a casual game.

Me and my floormates had an informal clan and then once some other clan called us out. We arranged a team deathmatch and schooled them so hard that other clan disintegrated after their loss.

The internet has turned me into a giant walking asshole.

 

[Whitecloak]

Originally posted by: Bigblades
Its like a guy on bash.org said about quake 3.

"Playing Quake 3 online is like trying to suck my own dick, I do it now and then to prove that I can. And I can't."

LOL

 

[FacelessNobody]

Originally posted by: Bigblades
I forget how to edit posts, so those 20-30 grammatical errors are going to have to slide. Sorry to anybody who holds the English language dear for my degredation of it.

Don't worry, I'm a TA and tutor for the U of MN's English department. You are forgiven .

 

[Honkus]

Originally posted by: hdeck

Originally posted by: Honkus

Originally posted by: Howard: Find a good noob server.

If I truly cared enough to do so, I think it would be a difficult thing to find. Think about it - The hardcore gamer obviously plays to win. Why else would he devote so much time to one thing? It then makes sense that the hardcore gamer would be attracted to something like a noob server, because it's easy for him to wipe the floor with the "noobs". Besides, not being able to kick people's ass in games is not my main complaint. What I would like to see instead would be more truly cooperative games for us casual gamers.

i tend to disagree. there are those who are good at games that enjoy ruining other people's time, but those are by no means the "hardcore gamers." hardcore gamers are those that compete in events like the cpl, quakecon, and wcg -- they play against the very best because they want to prove they are better. playing against a n00b proves nothing. also, most "hardcore gamers" don't even waste their time in public servers. just my observation, though.

True. I mean not to lump all good players in one negative category, but the good players with decent attitudes (the ones who play in leagues exclusively) generally aren't found in public servers as you mentioned. Who does that leave? The immature players who can manage to kill you ten times for every one kill you get on them, and proceed to say things like "OMG nublet hax0r. lucky shot." whenever they do get killed. That gets annoying fast

 

[hdeck]

one thing i love about cs is there are commands to completely remove all text and voice so you can easily avoid it

 

[Gurck]

If you're more into RPG-type games than FPSs, you might want to look at an MMORPG. They can be huge time sinks, but aren't necessarily so. The players are generally more mature than "pwn j00" types that frequent battle.net and FPSs, and since they're generally PvE (but offer PvP options to varying degrees) there's no chance of getting creamed by other players if you don't want to. If you'd be the type to pay attention to the people who play 8+ hours a day though (they're frighteningly common), it might not be a good idea There's no substitute for that kind of time investment. They can be plenty of fun along the way and for casual gamers though. I'd recommend against EverQuest though, as Sony has a very buggy product, virtually no QA or testing, and offers no CS. Most MMORPGs are around $13 a month.