I think I've just about decided I am getting too old for online games...

Maybe I'm wrong, but online gaming always seemed like a step back to me. It was a lot of fun over at a friends house drinking and playing death matches on his big screen with other friends, but without other people there it's like playing a board game against a computer. Also, online gameplay always seemed really shallow and pointless. Playing boring ass Phantasy Star Online is still playing boring ass Phantasy Star Online regardless if it's online or not. Where's the fun in playing something like that with some stranger thousands of miles away? I just don't get it.

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Originally Posted by Drakon

Online gaming is for antisocial people.

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What a strange generalization. Some people enjoy competing or co-operatively playing games with people (as opposed to computer AI), and doing that with other people in the same room isn't always an option. It's not about being antisocial.

Anyway, this thread makes me feel old. I was just getting into online gaming at age 21 with Quake being the new awesome thing at the time. Most of my online play was a few years later with Unreal Tournament and PSO. I rarely play games online anymore. I don't think it's an age thing for me, though. I just prefer single-player games.

Most of the stigma against online play seems to come from the notion that you only play against completely random people, which is more or less the equivalent of socializing with youtube comments. This was further amplified by matchmaking becoming the dominant method for console multiplayer as opposed to server browsers.

The wonderful thing about servers operated by the players themselves is that it's much more akin to forum culture. Several little enclave communities are formed, with their own rules enforced by active administrators capable of kicking and banning players swiftly when needed. People start behaving themselves and care about their reputation since they want to play on the same server again with the same people, which contributes to a much more pleasant and friendly atmosphere.

Something happened to team gaming quite a few years ago. I noticed it when sometime after the Halo came out. See back then it was possible for PC players to play on the same servers as Xbox players. The Xbox people didn't quite get the "team" aspect of the game and typically played team games as single player games, but the other people were really bots. This works fine in single player mode as I am sure you are all aware. My examples are:

- I get in the jeep, no one will get in and be a gunner even if I wait. They just run past and go towards the other base.
- I see a dude get in a jeep, they won't wait for anyone to get on. I'm almost there, he zooms away.

I remember playing Quake 3 and MOHAA team matches and setting up insane tactics making the teams unbeatable. Especially MOHAA where we would go into public servers and set up sniper teams with protection guys (sniper gets the window, dude with smg protects sniper) and we were unbeatable. But then later I tried to go into newer games and the people just seem different. Its more like what I experienced in those Halo games, people just don't want to be team players. Its always "me me me" and no team work going on. And then there is those "griefers" (tbh I never played Minecraft online but the idea is the same) like playing GTA4 and it has all these modes. I just wanted to do the racing mode (because racing is awesome) and I have to drive around barricades and people shooting rockets at me.

I basically gave up on team games, because if you aren't in a clan that cares you aren't going to have any fun. And then I really just gave up on multi altogether because of hacks and cheats. If I can't do team games or FFA, what is the point?

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Originally Posted by NeoZeedeater

What a strange generalization. Some people enjoy competing or co-operatively playing games with people (as opposed to computer AI), and doing that with other people in the same room isn't always an option. It's not about being antisocial.

Anyway, this thread makes me feel old. I was just getting into online gaming at age 21 with Quake being the new awesome thing at the time. Most of my online play was a few years later with Unreal Tournament and PSO. I rarely play games online anymore. I don't think it's an age thing for me, though. I just prefer single-player games.

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I always hated online gaming. If I'm going to be alone in a room I might as well play something by myself.

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Originally Posted by Drakon

I always hated online gaming. If I'm going to be alone in a room I might as well play something by myself.

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Agreed.
Also, the only game that i ever played(and wanted to play) online was Phantasy Star Online, for a short period, on the DC with one of my brothers.
PSO is awesome and playing online, on the DC, was too.

Heh nice thread. I realized I was getting too old for online games a long time ago. I didnt grow up playing them anyway. 21 is way too young to be saying youre too old for it IMO.

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Originally Posted by NeoZeedeater

What a strange generalization. Some people enjoy competing or co-operatively playing games with people (as opposed to computer AI), and doing that with other people in the same room isn't always an option. It's not about being antisocial.

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Online gaming is mainstream now. Its common and standard practice now and will be forever so I dont see being anti social having much to do with it.

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Originally Posted by DarkDragon

21 is way too young to be saying youre too old for it IMO.

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In my time on the Internet I have realized that when one turns the tender age of 21 he or she will feel the desire
to express one's feeling of feeling quite old, old stories must be brought up and shared, remember the late 90's?
oh yesss when we were young and full of spirit, whatever happened to those days?

Remember when gaming was new? when we only had Half-Life 2?, when the Playstation 2 was still king and the Xbox sucked!

aah yes, when we still had good music like Britney Spears, before that damn Bieber came along! oh the world has gone to shits now,
back in the day.. the heyday!

Wow only 21? I didn't start online gaming until I was like 29 or 30. IV spent the majority of this last console generation playing online games on the PC. Ya I rage. Spout profanities and death threats like a drunken sailor. You know what. I love it. It's a great release. I've played competitively in HL2 DM and Team Fortress 2. Your mid life crisis Dad comment is kind of insulting. I think console online gaming tends to be the most immature. On e PC its much better. But nothing still induces rage like getting owned by a 12 year old savant. Maybe you should just play on PC or find another game. And I've played with people from all walks off life from kids to 50 year olds. And played against and with plenty of great female gamers too. If you are getting owned you need to figure a strategy to counter it. Remember if its possible to do then its fair game. You should take advantage of every trick at your disposal if you are serious about winning. Only if its cheating is it bad.

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Originally Posted by Bottino

Agreed.
Also, the only game that i ever played(and wanted to play) online was Phantasy Star Online, for a short period, on the DC with one of my brothers.
PSO is awesome and playing online, on the DC, was too.

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I think the problem with me is if I play a multiplayer game it makes me want to be playing with whoever in person. It's annoying. Also back in the days before online gaming gamers would keep themselves in better shape, looking better and smelling better for the sake of socialness. Now thanks to online gaming people are fatter, smellier and uglier because we've removed the social aspect of multiplayer gaming.

In the end of the day if you're online gaming you're just talking and interacting with a freaken machine:





People would think twice about acting like this with other people around.

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Originally Posted by NeoVamp

Yes it was, it was exactly the same, but with slow modem speeds we couldn't always call each other dicks with voice chat.

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Back in 96' - My friend and I would play DOOM on PC. (We were both 16 at the time) We had our own phone lines so we could play against each other. Then late at night we would steal our parents phone's so we could talk while playing DOOM. (We invented online game voice chat!!)

Edit: After watching the above videos........ THAT's the reason why I don't do voice chat on games anymore. Unless I actually happen to be playing with an ACTUAL friend online. Cause it really takes away from the experience when playing COD when you hear 12 year old yelling at each other. So I just mute that sh!t!

i'd hate to see that phone bill

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Originally Posted by KitsuneNight

i'd hate to see that phone bill

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It's not like he lived across country... He was in town. So there were no long distance fees...

Even back in 1996 when I was playing model multiplayer duke nukem 3d against a friend I didn't like it. It's nowhere near as fun as being in the same room.