My relationship with online multiplayer games has always been a love-hate relationship. To me, they have some of the worst pros and cons in gaming of any genre. On the one hand, they’re really fun with friends, but on the other hand, multiplayer games come with a lot of baggage. So much so that I’ve given up on playing multiplayer games altogether and realized I’m much happier without them. Here’s why…
1 Playing alone is how I recharge my energy.
Social interaction is a lot of fun for me, but it’s also very stressful. I have a big family, which means lots of birthdays, get-togethers, and holidays. I can socialize everywhere, so playing games online, where that’s also expected, reduces my ability to de-stress.
This is one of the main reasons I stay away from live service games. However, I have an open door policy when it comes to co-op games, as I would rather play Goat Simulator 3 with my kids than by myself.
Single-player games are my way of escaping the daily grind of life, especially RPGs. Experiencing a story of my own making, at my own pace, is like a brain massage. And you know what? When I meet up with my friends and family who play, we share our experiences anyway. It’s a vicious circle!
I usually play more than one game at a time. Right now, I'm playing Starfield, Boltgun, and a mobile emulator. I'm in a state of euphoria, and I switch between games according to my mood. No one else controls my time but me.
2 Scheduling is a nightmare.
Just trying to get a few people together for a night in the past (like the one I spend at my house) makes me wish I could see the future. Size doesn't matter, but the chances of plans going wrong get exponentially worse the more people there are.
I felt this more than anything else in World of Warcraft—and it didn’t matter how organized the guild was. There were always some people who were five, ten, or twenty minutes late because they were still traveling or hanging out in town. Oh, and that was if the servers were up to begin with.
On the other end of the spectrum, when everyone is on time and ready to go, I can't say it's not going well. That feeling of everyone being together as one unit, it's very hard to replicate on your own.
3 I could never deal with the sadness and toxicity.
If people are given anonymity, they can become a major nuisance in the world, like a bully destroying the sand castle you were quietly building. Worse, people will go out of their way to annoy you. It's not uncommon for these people to escalate to the level of harassment.
Grief and toxicity have gotten so bad in League of Legends that I've stopped playing Summoner's Rift altogether. I may play it every now and then, but it's completely random, and it's all just average (ARAM). You get a random champion, one lane, and no one cares if you build it right.
Then there's the foul language. Any multiplayer game that involves communication between players is immediately muted and disabled. And people are just plain racist and hateful at times.
4 More time for other hobbies and skills
Expectations in multiplayer games vary greatly, with time being the most important factor. Logging in every day for daily quests, dungeons, raids, and leaderboards starts to feel like a second job. At this point, I’m not playing because I want to, I’m playing out of obligation.
Besides toxins and sadness, I’d rather spend this time doing something else. I have a stack of cookbooks I’ve been meaning to open. I just replaced the strings on my guitar, and my reading list continues to grow, as does my viewing list.
5 I save money for the games I want.
Every time I see a new multiplayer or free-to-play game, my first thought isn't how fun it is, but how bad the microtransactions are. The constant explosion of manipulative ads makes me cringe.
And if the game is on a console, which is where I play most of the time, I have to buy a subscription to be able to play online in the first place. Oh my! I was tired of receiving insults and exaggerated accusations. The moment I left this game behind was the moment that opened so many doors.
The amazing thing is that the money you spend on a $20 digital skin is enough to get you great indie games on GOG, consoles, and Steam. They're popping up all of a sudden. AA is a good place to look too!
Ultimately, my gaming habits changed for the better. I don't hate multiplayer games, but more often than not, they have a negative impact on my experience. I still recommend it if you're a competitive type, just keep your cool.