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[lock2k]

COVID-19 has given me a lot to think about. I'm going 30 this year, I now have a mortgage, a car, a fiancee and a little boy. Life is... well, pretty hectic and keeping up with my friends is harder than ever.

But even in the early days when I was working full time and maintained a relationship whilst living in my own space (though rented at the time) I never struggled to keep in touch with friends because we were always on PlayStation. I had a good group of friends, enough to ensure that we have a full 8 per side and a pretty chaotic chat when trying to talk to people but we spent lots of time together. We wasted so many hours in the evenings, drinking beer (or Vanilla Coca Cola in my case... RIP), eating junk and just playing games. Our journey together consisted of Resistance 2, Uncharted 2, Killzone 3, Uncharted 3, Payday: The Heist and The Last of Us, before moving onto the current and soon to last generation of consoles. There were some others in there such as Syndicate from EA etc. But these games in-particular we literally spent countless hours on.

This generation just... hasn't been as great as last generation for multi-player... or has it? I've been mulling it over a lot. It felt like a pre-requisite last generation that games had a multi-player mode right? Before MOBA and Battle Royale was a fad. Though we did play M.A.G. for a time and that was just pure fucking chaos. Too much going on in 256 player matches. But previously you were lucky if you had a PS2 with the ability to play online or even an original XBOX or you were just living in the year 3000 if you were one of the lucky kids that had a DreamCast and played online. I mean my town isn't especially a rich one here in the UK, we have a premier league football team now but it's always been at the lower echelons of wealth in England and quite often brought up for the poverty we have, so even having a console and internet feels like a blessing sometimes.

PC gamer's can think of this as a non-issue because online play really wasn't something as fundamentally new for their systems as it was moving into the PS3 and 360 generation though it was very limited beforehand on previous consoles. Though even if I look at my friends list right now, I have 18 active friends. 14 of them are playing Final Fantasy VII Remake, 3 are playing Nioh 2 and I have one friend playing Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. All very single-player centric games.

But this generation just never kicked off right. Even though PS4 gamers coming from PS3 could finally enjoy cross game chat, the multi-player experience just didn't seem as fun or on par with what we enjoyed. We played Killzone ShadowFall online then moved on quickly realising that it had just been something of a tack-on experience. We went back to The Last of Us with the PS4 remaster but found ourselves bored quite quickly. We thought Payday 2 was going to beat the hoodoo but the developers of that title didn't really give a shit about consoles and the incredibly poor quality left us wanting and frustrated, thus we moved on..,

Multi-player is arguably bigger than ever, with e-sports becoming a big thing, experiences such as battle royale games and MOBA's dominating the genre and some pretty healthy MMO's and games like Grand Theft Auto where the single player experience now seems to be the add-on.

But even so, for the life of me I cannot get into multi-player titles anymore. In fact, I have even seen posts here on GAF and even on other forums, including the SJW forum where I see posts that say "Well the multi-player experience on PlayStation is dreadful so I'm getting an XBOX."

I've tried with many games to try and get over that hurdle. I went back to PayDay 2 and got bored quickly. Monster Hunter World we lasted a month before getting bored. We went back to The Last of Us Remastered and found ourselves bored, though, that was mainly because we couldn't find opposition at our level. Mortal Kombat, Red Dead Redemption and Borderlands, we still cannot get back into the rhythm. The closest we have come is the Uncharted 4 co-operative modes and even then our very close knit group of friends still have that love for each other, but we really don't talk and play as much, no matter how much we pledge to make a difference. As I write this post, I am playing Nioh 2 and I do enjoy playing multi-player but I also like how and when I can play and the control I have over it.

So, having mulled it over, I had it over to you guys to see what other gamers have to say. Are multi-player games declining in quality? Perhaps due to over-saturation and a potential lack of innovation? Are they just better than ever and perhaps it's down to my own tastes that I don't seem to have that hunger anymore? Or could age be a factor in enjoying online play? Have at it.

I only like playing fighting games. The rest does not interest me. And even so, I don`t play them that much because life is packed with other stuff.

 

[Deeper Underground]

A little bit? There’s so many GAAS styles games out that I’m finding myself enjoying single player games on Easy mode to enjoy the story, not get my blood pressure up.

 

[Elcid]

Best multiplayer games now are WoW Classic (PC I know), DOTA2, Rainbow Six Siege, Street Fighter V, and Call of Duty War zone/BO4/MW. I'm not a huge multiplayer guy but I find myself playing these more than anything.

 

[Aidah]

36 here. I do like online multiplayer still. I've always liked the competitive aspect, I don't think it would be nearly as fun if I wasn't generally good at it though. With how I play, I don't like games where lone wolf is completely off the table as I mostly just want to turn it on and play a bit with randoms whenever I have time, and I've never really been into the whole get a group of friends together every time I want to play something.

My favorite online multiplayer games have come out like 10 or more years ago, and they were the ones I played the most (I think I played too much multiplayer back then, and missed out on good single player. Maybe multiplayer felt more new at the time). I do feel like a lot of multiplayer games have been more of the same since then, others went downhill, and the ones with some new ideas haven't been interesting to me (I find all battle royal games boring for instance). Then there's the heavy monetization shit.

Anyway I'd say I like the mix of single and multiplayer I've got now, and each give me a different kind of fun. I don't think my age got much to do with anything when it comes to multiplayer, at least not yet, and that's despite getting a chronic injury that makes it harder to do well.

 

[Armorian]

Never was into them to begin with, I prefer a good story driven game over multiplayer

Pretty much. I always found online games to be pointless, my friends tried to convince me to play various MMOs over the years and i always said no. I assumed that their goal was to rise the level as high as possible or kill the hardest boss or something but they always ended up creating multiple characters and then jumping to another game eventually. I can COMPLETE (100% if they are really good) single player games and move on (same for movies, anime, tv shows, books etc.), you can waste hundreds of hours in MP games and achieve basically nothing.

 

[xpresstuning]

I'd play online games if i had that time, but unfortunately that time is split between other priorities.

 

[Punkster88]

For pvp competitive games it's just fucking stressful and exhausting and in order to get good you have to dump a ton of time into it and fuck that I'd rather put my time into something else.

 

[anthraticus]

'What year is it' gif.

(shit got stale like 15 years ago)

I could have all the time in the world and still wouldn't play it. Waaay too repetitive.

 

[drganon]

Ive always mainly been a single player gamer. I was only into multiplayer back when I was a kid and even then it was local split screen multiplayer.

 

[VGEsoterica]

Fighting games are still legit, but online FPS stuff just doesn't hold my attention like it used to. I'll play all of Doom Eternal but probably won't touch the multiplayer unless its local with friends

 

[soulbait]

When Halo 2 launched, my friends and I would play all the time. When the 360 came out, I was all excited about online multiplayer, being part of the Modern Warfare beta, playing all the time. Then it started to feel like too many people were starting to take it too seriously, where the only goal was to win. My goal when playing a game is first to have fun. If we won, that was a bonus as well, but it was not the first thing we wanted. After Modern Warfare 2, things started to feel like they shifted. People were more concerned with their k/d ratio than anything else. If you was having a bad night, people would be upset with you. As it get more and more competitive, the more stressful it felt for me, sucking out all of the enjoyment I used to have.

With this generation, I have played very little competitive multiplayer. I have played some co-op focused games, like Destiny and Sea of Thieves, but for the most part it has been solo. Also, being older it is hard to get everyone's schedules lined up to play. I also no longer have the time, or motivation, to play hours at a time to get better at a game. I just don't enjoy the competitive nature of it.

I play games to escape the stresses of life. Having to worry about someone cussing me out because I did not play to their level does not appeal to me.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Not a really well stated OP, gamers' heads don't explode over competition in multiplayer games, you have cross play playing out as we type and in the last 5 years games, maps, player counts etc. have all gotten bigger, the OP's ideas are unfair and the thread should be locked.

 

[ksdixon]

The MP scene for multi-plat games can't be better on XB, the PS4 outweighs it in simple market share, so you're gonna have a larger pool to pick from on PS4, regardless?

Strange to hear you got bored of TLOU MP fast, OP, it made improvements to the PS3 game. All the DLC levels were thrown into one level pool, so there was no splitting players by level types, or your mate not being able to play with you becasue they didn't get the DLC etc. Was the jump from 30fps for MP on PS3 to 60fps for MP on PS4 jarring.

 

[Strider7]

Generally, yes. The older I’ve gotten, the less I have engaged with MP games. And not just because of added responsibilities and a career. At some point it all sort of feels the same to me.

I’ll still throw some time at a big shooter occasionally, like COD. But overall, I really just want good single player experiences.

If only they churned out stealth games as much as they put out online FPS. I’d happily take 10 Metal Gear, Splinter Cell or Batman games/clones/ripoffs over another MP FPS any day.

 

[MR ARCADE FOREVER]

The new cod is pretty good just went back after stopped paying cod for 4 years. Battle royal sucks I can't stand it

 

[-Minsc-]

I can see doing some local multiplayer with the kids if I ever have children down the road. The only other multiplayer I'd play is Minecraft or Phantasy Star Online.

For everyone else...

Twitch streaming is the new multiplayer.

Edit: Definitely less and less interested in anything competitive. Also less interested in spending much of my time in online game worlds.

 

[Woo-Fu]

Just the opposite, multiplayer games are the only ones worth my time. Singleplayer feels like masturbation vs. multiplayer's sex. I mean sure, it will satisfy an urge briefly but I know which one is a more interesting/complex experience.

 

[INC]

Singleplayer feels like masturbation vs. multiplayer's sex.

You mean tbagging?

 

[Shiken]

Multiplayer was only bigger than SP when it was fresh and new to the online scene. Now that it is not fresh and new anymore, people are starting to realize that strong single player games are still ghe best way to play.

 

[Roberts]

It's an on and off affair - sometimes I spend weeks playing MP only and then quit for a year. One thing for sure, I'm too old to waste time on MMORPG's, but occasionally I enjoy a match or two of BR or some other MP mode with my friends. And sports games, because I can't imagine wasting time playing sports games in single player.

Also, Sea of Thieves - it is a thing of pure beauty if you can get your friends to play with you.

 

[Gargus]

I only cared about online in everquest and world of warcraft. And stacraft back in the day.. the older I get the less interested I am in it. Now i tend to get bored quite easily and end up fucking with people online. All I care about is single player.

 

[Gamer79]

I am. Turned 40 and barely play multiplayer anymore.

 

[Northeastmonk]

I use to love playing Third Strike on Xbox Live. I was still in high school at the time and there was Rainbow Six 3 and Halo 2. That was when I was into mp the most. I’ve played many games online over the years, primarily shooters. 9 hours on most CoD. It’s fine for a while and then I want some SP. I tend to drop mp altogether because I don’t have the motivation. I can play 30 hour campaigns and feel like it wasn’t a long time. I play 9 hours of MW and it feels like it’s been 6 months. Which is very strange. I remember countless hours of Halo at my old house. I remember playing Battlefield 3 and 4 for a year or two. Yet, by myself mp lasts me a long time if I only get a couple matches in. Most of the time I just don’t bother unless there’s something I truly enjoy.

I tried playing Street Fighter IV and V but I have 90+ hours on IV and am at level 300 on SFV. Each edition. But the thing is, my drive to play MP isn’t pushing me to play more often. I played a lot of Tekken over the years. Lots of TTT2, T6, and some T7. Idk, I don’t have friends who play and my rhythm since T2 is essentially the same thing. I can beat plenty of people and then I can get my butt kicked pretty hard.

There’s so many fighting games with MP, it’s hard to stick to one. Multiplayer in general is like that for me. I’ll enjoy it for a while, but it isn’t something I’m waiting to go do. I tried to play the well known mp stuff. I’ve got time with CSGo, but the drive to play a single player game is so much greater. I’ll play a match online. In DBFz I have a lot of time in SP mode, same with MK11.
I really liked mp in MKXL. I own the season passes too.

I never liked the MLG, practice every day, ignore other games mindset. It was fun to see it grow and mp become huge. It all feels like you can’t focus on other games and I don’t like that. I also get kinda bored with the mp after a while. That can suck if your friends are only into the MP aspect of going round and round with each other. I get bored.

 

[Dacon]

I love multi-player games, it just feels like the games are getting worse and worse as I age.

Every Battlefield game since 3 has progressively gotten worse imo, for example.

 

[Danjin44]

I never have any love for them to begin with and this gen you have to pay to even try online play.....yeah, fuck that.

 

[Jamesb0ndjr]

I’m 31 and still primarily play multiplayer games. Social connection and competition is what keeps bring me back.
I love great single player games but it’s hard to play them a lot since I feel isolated.

 

[recma12]

The new cod is pretty good just went back after stopped paying cod for 4 years. Battle royal sucks I can't stand it

Same here.
Allthough I wouldn't say these games suck, they are just not my cup of tea.
If I had more time to play games per day and more online buddies, I could get into BR.

But playing with a rando teammate who is a 10min quad ride away from you is no fun.
On top of that, there is just way too much downtime compared to a "classic" TDM, CTF mode.

After booting up the game:
- you wait in a free4all lobby type of map
- you wait to jump out of the plane/bus
- after landing you spend some time collecting gear

Once you got your gear sorted out you finally can get some actual gameplay in, before you do it all over again.
IF you get killed quickly, you basically invest 10mins to play for 1 min.
So far I've tried Fortnite, Apex and Warzone and I always felt it was too much of a timesink.

BR is one of those "if I only was younger" things. If I was able to do 4h sessions and had like 3 XBL buddies to play with, my 20yr old self probably would be really into that shit.

 

[SnapShot]

I find myself leaning more and more towards Singleplayer and Co-op games, just an overall less stressful experience and they feel easier to pick up and play than those competitive shooters.

 

[MisterBrimstone]

It's not the age, it's the reflexes leaving my old decrepit body.

 

[Thirty7ven]

Multiplayer games are huge time sinks for little diversity and no closure. So normally your standard gamer will have one or two go-tos, usually the ones they can play with their friends and usually that extends throughout the generation.

Gamers who play many multiple multiplayer games a year are unicorns, streamers or kids who are trying everything.

As you age it's only normal to stick to the kind of multiplayer games that brings your old group of friends together, and usually those are sports games.

 

[ZywyPL]

I'm on the same boat, neither I have that much time anymore nor the MP games are as appealing as they used to be. CoD4 Remaster was a nice refresh, but overall it's the same game I played for thousands of hours already, so it could last only for so long. But I wouldn't mind a BFC2 or KZ2 remasters to refresh those experiences as well for some time again.

 

[Damigos]

My only multiplayer experience was GT Sport, World of Warcraft, Dark Souls / borne Series, Red Alert 2, Unreal Tournament, Diablo 2 and 3. Everything else single player

 

[Magic Carpet]

lost most interest in online play as I've gotten older. I used to spend tons of hours on Warcraft, Starcraft, I'm embarased to think how many hours wasted in World of Warcraft. I still pay for Gold and Ps plus but I think I only do so for the included games each month.

 

[_Ex_]

I have never had any interest in online multiplayer of any sort. One of the reasons I play video games is to get away from people.

 

[anthraticus]

As you age it's only normal to stick to the kind of multiplayer games that brings your old group of friends together, and usually those are sports games.

You know, I use to enjoy playing sports games with my buddies head to head back in the Sega Genesis days.

But that was they were sitting right next to me, the games didn't feel so automated and they actually still played games !

 

[MR ARCADE FOREVER]

Same here.
Allthough I wouldn't say these games suck, they are just not my cup of tea.
If I had more time to play games per day and more online buddies, I could get into BR.

But playing with a rando teammate who is a 10min quad ride away from you is no fun.
On top of that, there is just way too much downtime compared to a "classic" TDM, CTF mode.

After booting up the game:
- you wait in a free4all lobby type of map
- you wait to jump out of the plane/bus
- after landing you spend some time collecting gear

Once you got your gear sorted out you finally can get some actual gameplay in, before you do it all over again.
IF you get killed quickly, you basically invest 10mins to play for 1 min.
So far I've tried Fortnite, Apex and Warzone and I always felt it was too much of a timesink.

BR is one of those "if I only was younger" things. If I was able to do 4h sessions and had like 3 XBL buddies to play with, my 20yr old self probably would be really into that shit.

Yeah I just can't get what's so fun about battle Royale. The most I had fun was playing free for all

 

[killatopak]

Directly related to the amount of real life friends who still want to play MP together.

In most cases they move on especially those who have their own family now.

 

[The_Mike]

33 years old, always preferred online gaming, always will.

Plays cod modern warfare daily, never tried the single player once.

Really like mmorpgs as well. Stupid AI breaks the immersion.

 

[Lukin1978]

Never did like them

 

[MiguelItUp]

Excuse the rambling...

36 here and I still enjoy multiplayer games. Issue I have, is that I don't really enjoy a lot of the multiplayer experiences that have been coming out over the years.

I love a great single player, and I love a great multiplayer. I've just realized multiplayer has changed so much over the years as it feels more like devs just trying to cash in on the next big thing. Maybe it was always like that and I just never realized it cause I was younger?

I mean, Quake was my first real plunge into multiplayer, and after that it was all over. But for years it was a number of FPSs and deathmatches, etc. Which, I guess were that "cash in" at the time, but I was so into it (and young) that I didn't care. Now I just really miss that arena shooter / straight forward deathmatch experience. At the time, each game incorporated its own spin which made it all feel pretty different from one another. So it was similar, but also, not so much.

The last few and most recent(ish) multiplayer games that I played a large amount of were Battlefield 1, Battlefront 1/2, Quake Champions, DOOM (2016), and COD: Modern Warfare.

I can honestly say that right this minute I'd adore a new Alien Vs Predator. One that was handled more-so like the first two titles on PC.

I'm eagerly waiting for the next multiplayer component that drops that I'm super into. But at this point, I have no damn clue what that will be.