Am I Too Old For Online Shooters?
Like the Star Wars meme, I've found a peaceful life playing RPGs and adventure games. But it wasn't always this way. In the early 2000s, I spent my summers playing WCW vs. NWO and Goldeneye with my friends for hours, cutting my teeth on early shooters and learning to enjoy the fine art of inverted camera movement. Yet the allure of a new shooter always found its way into my life. I was a diehard Destiny PvP player – never went flawless in trials, but loved jumping in and out of multiplayer matches. At some point though, I would always grow bored, tired of dealing with the 'meta' of the week and tired strategies. Eventually, I would retreat back to my adventure games, where the games had an endpoint. That is, until some friends would inevitably pull me into Call of Duty.
A Change In Tase
Growing older and playing shooters is somewhat a reflection of life. You’re not as quick as you used to be, but the years of gaming wisdom keep you competitive. You might not master ‘omnidirectional movement,’ but you know how to play lane, and some tactics never change. However, with Black Ops 6, I’ve begun to wonder where the casual shooter goes to play. Black Ops 6 is the latest Call of Duty, and for many people, it’s the seasonal shooter equivalent to sports fans who buy the latest console solely for Madden and NBA 2K. For many people, it’s also a game that is quite divisive as it employs skill-based matchmaking in its multiplayer mode. For those who don’t know, skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) is a technique where you are paired with other players of your skill level. It’s meant to keep matches competitive. As you grow in skill, so does your opponent. It sounds good in theory. And in many cases, I do enjoy it until I want to explore.
We’re long past the days when people played games with friends, and the idea of ‘fun’ was to be playing a game at the same time in the same room. Now, fun is creating video compilations of your best kills and ‘sweating,’ or what we old folks would call hoop dreams. The introduction of esports, streaming, and the opportunity to make tons of money playing video games have altered the view of what fun can be in a modern shooter. Now, fans of popular games worry about the “meta” or which gun is the strongest. They study maps the same way I studied MapQuest before leaving the house. To play a shooter today means to play with the idea that it is competitive first, casual second. And if you don’t agree, you’re one of those people who need to “git gud”. You don’t understand because you suck at the game, and if you were good, you wouldn’t be complaining. Add in the fact that the game rewards you for high scores. It’s an endless cycle of pressure to perform. Now, I can hear someone say, “Well, that’s on you. No one is telling you to play that way.” And they would be right, except SBMM makes sure that you are always playing that way.
Modern Shooters and SBMM
When it comes to modern shooters, I can hold my own. In Black Ops 6, I’ve had a few ‘play of the game’ moments and even stood on top of the podium for my team. When I first started playing, I was learning maps and playing against people of various skill levels. It felt like everyone was trying to find their play style, gun of choice, and maps. Games were rarely lopsided, and it left you room to explore. If I unlocked a new gun, I could give it a try without much thought of how good or bad it would be. It was a safe space to experiment. However, as I continued to play the game, I began to notice more camos and cosmetic upgrades you earn by completing objectives with a specific weapon. My opponents didn’t miss as much as I was. A missed shot was punished severely. Because I was playing well enough, I was rewarded to play against so very skilled players. Now, this isn’t something that I would particularly complain about. In fact, as an older game enthusiast, it’s a point of pride that I could still keep up. But that’s not what I wanted to do. I wanted to continue unlocking guns and exploring what the game had to offer.
The problem with SBMM is that you can’t turn it off. If you get too good, you have to play with the guns that dominate matches. Or be that dedicated to playing with weapons that are always outclassed. Both ideas sound like hell to someone who enjoys variety. Seriously, what’s the point of having a variety of weapons and attachments for everyone to play with the same five weapons? Finding a new strategy/play style becomes impossible if you’re always up against the people who want competitive play every match. If that’s the case, every ‘competitive’ shooter should follow Halo - We all get the same three guns. No tier list. But that’s where we are in gaming. There’s a group of people who live and die by the patch notes and weapon tier list. Who find one gun, one play style, and rock out until the next patch disrupts their way of play.
Am I Too Old?
I made the mistake of posting about this on Threads. A random, self-proclaimed COD player rattled off the usual response. This is the game now; everyone is competitive, and what I think is hardcore is just normal gameplay. It’s about skill and winning every damn match. When I asked for a chill alternative, he said that essentially every shooter is competitive, and the only way to relax is to play adventure games. I thought about it for a while. Like the Star Wars meme, I’ve yet to come to terms with the truth— I just don’t care to play the way the kids play. Yeah, I have the skill, and some days, I do enjoy mixing it up and showing it out. But as I age, I long for a peaceful life.