An observation on the customization of multiplayer first person shooters

     Multiplayer arenas have always been dominated by players with twitch reactions, and game familiarity. Today’s modern shooters are populated by a significant amount of character and weapon customization. A system of customization that did not exist until most recently. Where it now populates the majority of online shooters.

The difference between the old and the new is a change of focus on the development of a player’s sense of satisfaction. By shifting the focus, gameplay is no longer centered around the development of a player’s skill. The shift is now on the player who is empowered through a series of unlocks, awarded by player participation. Differentiating itself from the first person shooters that use player skill as a gateway to a rewarding experience. The question is, has the continuation of player empowerment significantly changed the way we play first person shooters?
 

 Today’s customizable multiplayer games are centered around the collection of experience points. By killing players, and completing objectives, players are rewarded with superior gear, and class modifications. This system of rewards quickly became a recognized incentive to expand the lifespan of a game’s multiplayer. A trend that also became a quick implication into the majority of multiplayer shooters. The implementation of these rewards was not to only to incentivize playtime, but to also compliment a player’s style. By customizing play styles, weapon balancing became more complex, which contrasts with. Weapons are balanced to account for increased damage, or accuracy from player modifications. Which is eliminating the line of easy to play, but hard to master gameplay. A characteristic that is beneficial to any long-running multiplayer shooter.

    While early non-customizable multiplayer counterparts were covered with weapons that were satisfying by design. Weapons were a one size fits all, and were only changed by the skill of the player. It can be argued that the incorporation of customization is used for a more enjoyable experience for the player. But, the constant rewarding of a player could have an effect on why a player would play the game. Players could continue playing because it’s enjoyable. Or because they are motivated by the thought of better rewards, which could equal a more enjoyable experience. Overall, the satisfaction is no longer centered around the use of a weapon. But the combination of customization/use of it, which takes away from the overall depth found in long-running multiplayer games.