Multiplayer games have always been popular, and are only continuing to grow in their influence. Now, with the boom of free-to-play titles, most users have tried multiplayer games at least once.
The acclaim of such games is simple: they utilize their competitive nature and provide new content periodically to keep players hooked. But, it has to be discussed if playing titles like these makes one less appreciative of single-player masterpieces that are usually much slower.
How Multiplayer Games Captivate Their Userbase
Thanks to short forms of content like reels and TikToks, we live in an age where the average attention span of a human being is only 8.25 seconds. Most online games tend to capitalize on this fact. They are usually fast-paced, involving rapid movement and fluid gameplay with moment-to-moment action.
While it is dynamic, engaging, and loads of fun, one might wonder that since there is little to no storytelling in such games, how do they keep things fresh? Well, that is where live service games come in. In the industry, live service games receive updates and new content for players frequently. When a title is a live service game, it also means that one needs either a very high skill level or countless hours put into the title for better content.
Not to mention that since most popular multiplayer games are PvP, they introduce a sense of competition and, more than that, a feeling of pride. Gamers will agree that nothing is worse than going down right after you land on the map in Warzone. Similarly, nothing is worse than conceding a sweaty goal from a cutback in EAFC 24, and seeing your opponent hit the griddy.
All of this induces rage in the player on the receiving end. But the range is also part of the reason why one gets hooked. Imagine getting shot down in Warzone before you can get your primary weapon. Chances are, you will opt for another match. Why? Because your pride cannot handle that you lost to a human being. This is precisely why your competitive side is heightened when you grind PvP multiplayer games. While one may think that only losing induces this response, that is certainly untrue.
If you lose a match or are killed within the first few minutes, and you try again, even if you win after that, it is very rarely gratifying to the extent that you close the game because you are satisfied. It’s hard to top the feeling after you get that sweet Chicken Dinner or Victory Royale!
Notice how, in both of these cases, the only ones profiting tangibly are the stakeholders for the title. If I were to talk my preferences, I have bought every FIFA title since FIFA 19, including the current EAFC 24. There was once a time when I was heavily engulfed in the game’s meta to the point where not getting wins in FUT Champs started to affect my mental state.
That is precisely when I realized I was only playing the game to feed my pride and not because I enjoyed it. That is when I began journeying in the magical, immersive, and truly rewarding realm of single-player games.
My Experience With Balancing Between Single-Player and Multiplayer Experiences
As I mentioned, when I realized that I wasn’t playing the game for the joy it brought, it was mainly because it didn’t bring me joy at all! I had spent countless hours on the title, upwards of 500 hours, and I was still utterly trash. This was in 2020, when I had only begun getting my feet wet in the rabbit hole that is the FIFA Ultimate Team.
I knew something was wrong. I couldn’t get better because of the frustration, and I couldn’t stay away because I didn’t want to play any other title as my ego desperately wanted wins in FUT Champs. That is when I chose to actively go on what I called a no-FIFA-cation.
I decided that I wouldn’t play FIFA for a month and would get my hands on the hottest single-player game in the market, and actively devote my time to it. This was when RDR2 had just come out for PC, and all my friends were hopping on to get a taste of the outlaw lifestyle. I stuck to what I chose and grabbed a copy.
While what I am about to say may infuriate some fans, I ask you to bear with me. I couldn’t stand the title and uninstalled it within an hour of playing. It was too slow. The entire sequence of the snowstorm, the initial missions setting up the plot, felt nothing like I wanted it to feel.
That is when I realized that it was never meant to. I was so used to flicking my joystick in every possible direction known to man for 20 minutes that I had forgotten how to enjoy masterpieces. I decided to reinstall it and go in with an open mind. And as I promised myself, I finished the game within a month. It was perhaps the first time in years that I wasn’t drawn to a game because I had made an ego investment and had tied the outcome to my self-esteem.
I continued playing the title for hours because it was so good. For comparison, all those FIFA matches felt like drinking Americano from to-go cups, while you were late for class early in the morning. On the other hand, playing through RDR2 felt like having a Cappuccino on a cold, chilly morning, curled up in a blanket, with my favorite artist playing in my headphones.
It was the best decision I could have made regarding my routine as a gamer, and it made me appreciate the only game that has ever made me shed a tear, RDR2. After putting the grind for my Ultimate Team on hold, I returned replenished; I was enjoying playing against sweaty players in FIFA as well. All because I now knew how to balance the two things. It may seem obvious, but for anyone who hasn’t played an excellent single-player title in a long time because of the grind, let it go.
While I have made my point about how multiplayer games make you averse to even exploring single-player games, I am not implying that one should stop grinding in live service games. Please do not stop playing them; grind as much as you want. But take a step back when you know it is affecting you.
While one should always appreciate classics like The Godfather and Scarface, don’t hesitate when you want something snappy and less serious like Dumb and Dumber. Balance is the key to ensuring that you take ample pauses to stop, smell the flowers, and touch some grass, which has become even more necessary today.
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