What Does It Take?

In all aspects of life, we have our breaking points. For things like jobs and friends we need to have stamina because it's hard to let those things go, but with gaming we can be much more petty. Whenever something new is announced for a video/tabletop/card game, you'll inevitably have people standing out on the street corner with their big cardboard sign declaring that the end is nigh. Everyone is quitting the game and the company will go bankrupt, there's mouth-frothing, and if you were new to the internet you'd think it was time to start looking for a new game.

Of course everything turns out fine and people begrudgingly accept that the new addition is great until another announcement is made. Now some of these people just let their passions get the best of them, but some people genuinely fear that their beloved game is done for. Those are the ones who are seriously having to ask themselves whether this change, if it goes badly, will be the death of the game for them.

Major changes in my gaming history that have pushed me out of the game include GW price increases, YuGiOh's catering to little kids (more so than what they did originally, anyway), Legend of Zelda's departure from a normal controller, and Microsoft is pushing the envelope with the Xbox One. However, the one thing these all have in common is that there is usually something I could overlook. If I enjoyed GW's stuff enough I'd pay their premium price; if I could have prevented Link from running around like a terrified moose I'd have beaten the Wii game; and if Microsoft can do enough to outweigh the bad decisions they showed us, I might be debating between XB-O and PS4.

[Beware, unintentionally long psuedo-tirade incoming]

However, there's one thing that will always turn me away from a game no matter what, and that's the community. If I can't tolerate the people I'm forced to be around, I will drop the game no matter how much I enjoy it. I had to quit Halo because I spent weeks without finding a single mature person that owned a mic. I will no longer play competitive games at a gaming shop because anything from Magic to Warmachine (and even D&D!) seems to bring out the competitive d-bags who can't seem to balance civility with competitiveness. Competitive games thrive on the community, and because of that it's the players that can truly be the death of a game.

Fortunately online games have taken measures to cut out the really bad apples with things like online reputation and report functions. But a company can only ban so many players before their bottom line is affected - as sad as it may be, the most unpleasant players in a game are often the more diehard fans.

So then what to do? Sure I could unplug my mic, ignore chat, avoid annoying players face-to-face, but then I'm forced to take away the best part of competitive/team games, and that's getting to play with other people who share an interest with me. Unplugging my mic turns Call of Duty is as entertaining as playing against AI opponents, and only playing Magic with a handful of mature people becomes monotonous. It's not that I'll quit a game because of the presence of bad people, but when pleasant people are put on the endangered player list, it's time to move on.

But that's just me. Almost everyone I talk to about this thinks I'm crazy because they can't see how sucky people could be an automatic deal-breaker. I admire their patience, but I don't play multiplayer games just to compete with a faceless opponent. Generally speaking, a multiplayer game tends to have less pizzazz than a single-player experience simply because game makers understand that the competitive nature of multi-player makes us overlook an otherwise tedious experience.

If you've ever taken part in a "training room" where you can play the multi-player game against computer opponents, you know that the experience is much different simply because you're playing alone, and all you have is a shallow gaming experience. To me, multiplayer games are all about the human interaction. Even if I'm not talking to anyone, successfully working together with - or fiercely competing against - other people is key to my enjoyment. If I have teammates whining, yelling at other people, being over-the-top offensive, etc., I will have 0 fun because the people who are a part of my gaming experience are unbearable. I can take and give jabs and light-hearted trash talk, but if I have an opponent mocking, insulting, or complaining about me or the game, then I no longer care about the game.

I play competitive games to play a fair match against a mature opponent. I don't want to waste my free time on an unpleasant experience. That's my time. I can deal with crappy people in the real world where things matter, but when it comes to my hobbies I simply can't bring myself to find pleasure in a bad experience.

[Ok, you can start reading again]

Whew. This was supposed to be 3 or 4 paragraphs long. I have work to do tonight and you guys got me thinking about all these games that "could have been" if people could have just grown up and played the game! The point of today's post was to ask you your breaking point. You've seen the what and why of mine, so I'm curious to hear yours.

What is one thing in a game that will almost automatically push you out? Cost? Graphic style? Skill requirement? Your favorite army/class/whatever no longer being powerful or relevant? I'm curious to hear how others can walk away from something that they might otherwise be willing to play for years, so be sure to use that comment section down below!

See you tomorrow!


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