Kingpin wrote: ↑October 6th, 2022, 5:35 pm
I can maybe come up with a couple possible reasons why adults in their late 30s and early 40s aren't as keen to embrace online multiplayer/PVP games:
•There's still the persistent issue of immature teenagers who hurling all kinds of obscene abuse at other players, especially if that particular immature teenager happens to be losing.
•Some of these aforementioned-teenagers, and even adults can be incredibly poor sportsman, stealing kills and weapons/bonuses, screwing over other players who might be on the same team but aren't friends.
•Some people get excessively competitive, which wipes out the "casual" approach some people want in their gaming.
When a person chooses to play a game they want to relax and have fun, and I can perfectly understand why they'd be turned off by that stuff because I've experienced some of that very stuff.
Each to their own, and these are the main reasons a lot of my friends give, but in response I’d just say that… most (if not all) of these games have features which mitigate all of your complaints.
1. You can mute people. First thing I do most matches is mute anyone on my squad who is being noisy, abusive or is obv a kid / teen over mic.
2. Most games include in-game communication methods to allow teamwork without mic.
3. If you play enough and become familiar with the game it’s possible to play as if you were flying solo, either by carrying or supporting your team or ignoring them entirely. I’ve completed entire Fortnite seasons solo queueing with strangers I never speak to and it’s a ton of fun. A well-balanced game will limit unsportsmanlike behaviour though there can be blips and teething troubles initially.
4. Losing is no big deal. Matches are short so fire up another, and you still gain XP or can complete side challenges etc.
5. Human opponents are way more sophisticated and fun to play against than AI bots. This is one of the biggest draws.
For years these games have been a way to relax for me because I’m not trudging through some 100 hour open world, and my play session isn’t dictated by cut scene length and singleplayer story beats. They’re very easy to dip in and out of it with no time commitment.