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Oct 26, 2017
865
It feels more and more often I see complete derision aimed at competitive games. Especially at places that value single-player experiences more. This makes me sad because I really like competitive gaming and wish others could, at the minimum, appreciate the skill, time, and passion that goes into them.

It's often told that competitive games require you to have no life, that you play games "for fun" and that competitive players like us play for ego. But this often ignores how much competitive players play for fun. For us, the competition is the fun.

This past September I flew out to California purely to get meet competition in competitive fighting games at a major fighting game tournament called SoCal Regionals. I made friends, was taught a few things, and generally just had a lot of fun. It was like a mega sized version of my the local fighting game meet ups I go to every week at our city's university. Just 30-40 of us hanging out, playing fighters, sizing ourselves up, making friends, working on our weaknesses, dishing tips, and enjoying competition.

Competition is fun. I don't see why the word has become so perverted that it's now deemed negative as seen in the image below.

HRHcbDC.png


I don't mean to crap on single-player games but I don't find them as satisfying anymore due to these types of games and I'm not sure what's wrong with admitting that.

But things likes the image above and even comments on this very forum make it seem like the very idea of wanting to win and doing everything you can to do it, is being a try hard.

I read a few days ago an article declaring that single-player games were now dead and that multiplayer games should be blamed first and foremost. That made me sad, but it also made pretty angry. I don't mean any offense to anyone who doesn't enjoy these types of games, but I just wanted to articulate that they - fighting games, PUBG, MOBA, fps, rts - deserve respect and there's nothing wrong with enjoying competitive games, that multiplayer games aren't the enemy, and that we aren't coming for your single player games.

TLDR: https://youtu.be/WPc3rNSHw-U
 
Last edited:

Iorv3th

Member
Oct 27, 2017
580
I like competitive games. I have a lot of fun playing them and being competitive. Some people in those communities can be real assholes when they lose though. It exposes a lot of non competitive people that might try something out to that toxicity and turns them away or gives them a bad taste.

Something like CS GO or LoL/Dota existing isn't hurting anything. But what happened was publishers saw the money from loot boxes and cosmetics and decided they needed to get in on that money too. That's probably where some of the derision comes from, people assuming that those games are to blame to a degree.
 

Deleted member 2793

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
15,368
I think you're taking too personal something that isn't really a huge problem. Multiplayer games keep getting more popular than SP, some people not liking competition won't change that.
 

justiceiro

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
6,664
Its funny because there is a very competitive scene on speedruns that relies on singles player games to keep going.

There are "multiplayer vs" games that fails to caught anyone attention, and there is singleplayer game that have a long track record of people trying to get better scores or completion time.

A game is competitive not because the developer or the pubisher decided so, but because the players found a way that was fun for them to compete.
 

orthodoxy1095

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
1,453
Derision for competitive gaming also largely stems from the toxic communities that pop up around the amateur end of the competition.

League is a great example. I enjoy playing the game, I enjoy watching official competition like Worlds, but the amateur "ranked" ladder is filled with terrible attitudes.
 

Professor Beef

Official ResetEra™ Chao Puncher
Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,499
The Digital World
So ignoring the fact that Aris is playing GTA5 in this clip, he explains way better than I can why fighting games are hard, and that it's no wonder why more people aren't into them.



A lot of people on GAF Era honestly don't like competing, which is why there was such an uproar over no single-player modes in SF5, to name one example. Fighting games are hard. And nothing makes you feel worse than practicing for a long time only to get bopped repeatedly. It sucks. And people then hold a vendetta over competing because they feel they can't get good, or that there's no way for them to close that distance.

Fuck I have no idea what I'm talking about anymore. But competition is good, and competitive gaming is even better.
 

Dahbomb

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,621
That's just an opinion of one person. Maybe quite a few people but most people are fine with competitive games. But it's a poor strawman to use there, I don't even know what's being said in that twitter conversation just that the person doesn't like competition in games.

Playing to win is fun for a lot of people. As long as it remains fun for a lot of people, I don't see an epidemic in gaming culture that needs to be addressed.
 

Lastplace09

Member
Oct 28, 2017
8
East Coast USA
It isn't that I don't respect people's ability in a competitive game...there's just way too much toxic behavior for me to be interested in or take part in that type of game.

Co-op is where it's at for me.
 

Compsiox

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,062
Competitive games and competitions and esports are fine.

But, it hurts to see those comp teams posing super seriously with sports jackets on.

It feels very silly.
 

Karsticles

Self-Requested Ban
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
2,198
I'm of the opinion that the MtG triad of Timmies, Johnnies, and Spikes applies to all competitive fields. I identify as a Johnny/Spike, and I absolutely loathe Timmies. My problem with Timmies is that while they say they "just want to have fun", what "fun" really means to them is being able to win matches without having to think or try. They just want to experience success whether they have earned it or not. This is why Timmy players love items on in Smash - no matter how bad they are, they can fantasize about a Bobomb landing just right to give them a random KO, and now they got to kill you. When you take away the items, these players become more and more frustrated as they are forced into losing situations. They then have a whole host of complaints that explain why they lost: you are a try-hard, the character you use is overpowered, the game is unfair, you're a loser who spends too much time playing video games, etc. But the reality is that they are inadequate, and they don't want to have to recognize that they are inadequate and need to improve themselves to get better results. They aren't interested in getting better. They just want to feel good. This is the Timmy.

Timmies find more success and happiness in team-oriented competitive games because they have an endless complaint outlet: their teammates. Even though the Timmy has charged into the enemy team 10 times in a row without team support in Overwatch, the healer *should* have saved him. The tank *should* have protected him. This endless canal of excuses pretends the Timmy from ever having to self-reflect, and, even better, when getting carried the Timmy can feel like this is his success. Fighting games are lagging in sales because Timmies realize they can't win in them, so they won't buy them. Only fighting games with non-competitive elements or nostalgia are bringing in the big bucks now.
 
OP
OP
Cindi Mayweather
Oct 26, 2017
865
That's just an opinion of one person. Maybe quite a few people but most people are fine with competitive games. But it's a poor strawman to use there, I don't even know what's being said in that twitter conversation just that the person doesn't like competition in games.

Playing to win is fun for a lot of people. As long as it remains fun for a lot of people, I don't see an epidemic in gaming culture that needs to be addressed.

Like I said, it's not the one and only time I've seen derision towards competitive game players expressed. I know many people who personally think PUBG is a fad despite selling over 10 million units at this point just because it's multiplayer.
 

Dahbomb

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,621
Like I said, it's not the one and only time I've seen derision towards competitive game players expressed. I know many people who personally think PUBG is a fad despite selling over 10 million units at this point just because it's multiplayer.
And some players have derision towards single player games too. You can't go 10 posts without someone complaining about "walking simulators" or narrative driven single player games.

Don't know what about thinking that PUBG is a fad has to do with the overall argument. Some people just may not like PUBG specifically, doesn't mean they hate competitive gaming in general. There are plenty of single player games that have sold higher than that.
 

Seldon

Member
Oct 27, 2017
114
I have been watching Day9s YouTube series on playing competitive Starcraft that he is releasing now with the remastered edition. It is really great, but what I like about it is that he really gets deep into a pro players mindset and it is totally fascinating.
 

GenG

Member
Oct 26, 2017
458
The skills of the players must be equal for competitive gaming to be fun for majority of people. No one likes being outmatched and shut down completely by the other player, resulting in a frustrating and humiliating situation for the losing party. Apart from that, you have those players who only get satisfaction from humiliating others.

Single player games go with "carrot on a stick" type of rewards which make the players feel good and keeps the interest going.

I used to play fighting games by memorising combos to the minute detail, but poor at adapting to flexible players. I decided to stop playing competitively because my frustration was like poison to me and could spend days rememorating that single battle and feel really bad about it. I had to stop, and while I treasure the good moments, I don't regret it.

Competition is not suited for everybody and many are not willing to make that investment.
 

Crayon

Member
Oct 26, 2017
15,580
OP are you the Himuro of old?!
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.
It's a wide world of Esports. I can understand if some people only come in contact with the ugly side of it. As for the bright side of it, one typically has to get very close to the matter to truly understand what's fun about getting wrapped up in competitive gaming.
 

Khamsinvera

Member
Oct 31, 2017
1,580
Competitive games and competitions and esports are fine.

But, it hurts to see those comp teams posing super seriously with sports jackets on.

It feels very silly.

I'd have to disagree on the sports jackets. In most sports, you have a team uniform on - so why not in competitive sports and e-sports? It's also a branding play. E-sports is becoming huge and you want your team to stand out with its own identity.
 

Compsiox

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,062
I'd have to disagree on the sports jackets. In most sports, you have a team uniform on - so why not in competitive sports and e-sports? It's also a branding play. E-sports is becoming huge and you want your team to stand out with its own identity.

They remind me too much of varsity jackets.
 

Minako

Member
Oct 25, 2017
477
I think general toxicity is the problem more than competition. I'm a very competitive person, and I enjoy playing competitive multiplayer games with friends, but playing with the general community tends to suck the life out of the experience for me because people are so toxic and negative all the time.