Editor's note: Practice? How silly is that? It's not very silly if you want to get better at multiplayer games. Brian talks about how The Answer taught him what sports and gaming have in common. -Jason
If there’s one thing that participating in the first two Bitmob Game Nights has taught me, it’s that I suck at multiplayer games.
I’m not talking just your average, garden-variety suck here, though -- I’m talking about stinkbombs of epic proportions. (Commence Rodney Dangerfield impersonation.)
I tell ya, in a Red vs. Blue game, they put me on the Green team. My wife thinks that every game I play is called Respawning. I suck so badly, people tell me I should change my handle to "Electrolux." Man, when I’m playing multiplayer, I don’t get no respect. No respect at all.
To be honest, I haven’t sniffed a positive kill/death ratio since my college days, when my chief strategy at networked Descent was to flee like a frightened squirrel at the first sign of trouble -- and, of course, come back to the fray once I’d found a megamissile.
The one thing I can never figure out, though, is why I'm so bad at multiplayer. It’s not like I have no skill whatsoever as a gamer. I’ve beaten some pretty tough challenges in my day -- the original NES Castlevania, Ninja Gaiden on Xbox, Contra 4 on Hard, God of War 2 on God mode, and Mass Effect on Insanity starting with a level 1 Commander Shepard, just to name a few. So what gives?
Well, I’m happy to say that I finally figured it out last night -- I’m bad at multiplayer because I love videogames. Confused? I’ll let Allen Iverson explain.
If you’re a sports fan, you remember Iverson's infamous "practice" press conference, right? It's from 2002, when the reigning scoring champ and former NBA MVP went on an extended rant about Larry Brown's complaints about Iverson missing practices. It’s got to be one of the most memorable sports-culture moments of the past decade, and it’s damned funny to boot.
But why is it relevant? Well, during his rant, Iverson acknowledges the fundamental importance of practice, even as he hilariously belittles it for the next 3 minutes -- and here’s a rough transcript of what I said to my wife the other night as I was attempting to explain why I was continually getting shellacked in Uncharted 2:
“See, honey, since everybody else has been playing for a while, they’ve all been able to unlock these extra bonus abilities. Plus, I don’t know the maps very well or where all the good weapons are, and besides, they’ve all had a lot more practice at this than me....”
And that’s when it hit me.
“Wait a second,” I’m sure you’re saying to yourself right now. “Your big revelation is that you suck because you’re a n00b? Any idiot could have figured that out.” That's a very good point, Mr. Hypothetical Not-Very-Nice Bitmob Reader, but allow me to elaborate further.
I have an almost pathological love for videogames. I've been playing them since I was 4, and I'd play them every day if I could. I love all types of games: adventure games, puzzle games, board games, card games, strategy games, beat-em-ups, shooters, flight sims, space sims, RPGs, music games, whatever the hell Brain Age qualifies as...you name it, I love it.
I’ve done some really unhealthy, counterintuitive crap in service of my love of games. For instance, one night I sat down to play Demon’s Souls at about 11, chugged a 20-ounce Monster energy drink at 12:30 a.m. -- keep in mind I normally don’t drink anything caffeinated or with sugar in it -- and proceeded to play until 6 a..m., when, still totally wired, I lay down on the couch and sort of grabbed 2 hours of restless sleep.
News flash: This sort of thing is not healthy. I went in for a sleep consultation a few months ago because I was constantly exhausted and thought I had sleep apnea, and the doctor nearly threw me out of her office when I told her about my weekly all-night gaming jags. (Note: I got over the exhaustion by sticking to a consistent sleep/rising time on the other nights, and I’m usually fine the day after an all-nighter -- it’s the next day after that I have to watch out for.)
I don’t always do the best thing for my wallet’s health, either. My wife and I have been budgeting like crazy this year (that tends to happen in years when you purchase a 67-inch television), and yet I was still suckered in by the “Buy 2, Get 1 Free” sales last month at Toys ‘R Us and Best Buy.
I want to play all of these games because of the unique perspective each one brings to the hobby I love: whether it’s the “We hate you, and we’re not ashamed of it” attitude of Demon’s Souls, Borderlands’ tantalizing loot, the unparalleled freedom of Infamous, Brütal Legend’s match made in heaven of Tim Schafer and Jack Black, or the potential of an FPS cover mechanic that actually works in R6: Vegas. And so on.
I shall now pose a question that I’ve been building toward since the beginning of this article -- with the desire for unique perspectives paramount in my mind, why in the world would I bother playing one subset of one game over and over and over again?
Let’s come full circle and bring Iverson back into this again. Multiplayer gaming, you see, is much like a sport. In basketball, hockey, or baseball, every single time you play, the rules are the same, the field is the same, and the object is the same -- the only thing that changes are the participants. In the movie Hoosiers, coach Norman Dale even used this fundamental fact in order to calm down his overwhelmed team, pointing out that the court for the state championship game was still 94 feet long with a 10 foot-high hoop.
Really, how is that any different than knowing exactly where the sniper rifle, rocket launcher, or secret passages are on any given MP map? (Although, considering that most games have a lot of MP maps and they change often, I’d say MP gaming is more like a deadlier version of golf.)
And how does anybody improve at a sport? Say it with me, kids -- practice! Just like shooting free throws or doing wind sprints, MP gaming requires rounds upon rounds upon rounds of play until you can always win the race to the rocket launcher, know exactly how long your assault rifle bursts can be before they stop hitting your target, and laugh with derision when some schmuck tries throwing a grenade at your cover position.
Like I said, folks, I just don’t have the inclination to lock myself into a different “sport” every couple of months. It took a serious foot injury to stop my 15-year ultimate frisbee career, and since then, the only sport I’ve picked up has been disc golf -- not exactly a stretch!
For those of you who do have the inclination to enjoy the subtle variety that the sport of multiplayer gaming brings, I say more power to you (and more easy kills at any future Bitmob Game Nights that I partake in). As for me, I started this little journey asking the question of why I was so bad at multiplayer games....
I suck so badly, people tell me I should change my handle to "Electrolux."
That made me laugh. I still can't believe they actually once used that as a marketing campaign.
Jay Henningsen ,
November 07, 2009
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Hehehe, that was hilarious, Brian. And you're absolutely right -- I did much better last night on the maps that were also in the beta than the ones I've only played a handful of times.
That's why I like playing Uncharted 2 modes like Plunder: they're more about teamwork than individual skill. Heck, even "sacrificing" yourself for the team can provide a distraction while the rest of the guys steal the idol.
But here's the great thing about our Game Nights: We don't care if you suck at multiplayer. We just want to have a good time with people we know -- even if our kill death ratio is 3:11 (think I had that once or twice myself...).
I hope you keep coming out for Game Night -- it's a ton of fun playing with all you guys.
Brett Bates ,
November 07, 2009
+0
Nice. And when you explain to your wife that you need to practice, does she have the same response mine does? "That's great. Now turn it off so can watch 'Grey's Anatomy.' Practice later."
I have moments of greatness in multiplayer games like Uncharted 2, but by and large, I suck. Which is why I find myself gravitating more and more to the co-op modes, even with complete strangers. The co-op in Uncharted 2 is good, too, because you're still leveling up. And I love playing Nazi zombies in COD: World at War online with my cousin. I suck pretty bad at that, too, but at least I'm not getting trash-talked by some kid who's voice hasn't even changed yet.
Chris Williams ,
November 07, 2009
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Wow. I didn't think I'd ever read a Hoosiers reference on bitmob. Well played, Brian. Well played and funny.
Travis McReynolds ,
November 07, 2009
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Hey man, if you can't practice you can't practice. You're a franchise player... and we talkin bout practice?! Now you can't hold a job... burn
Nick Giunta ,
November 11, 2009
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great stuff
Brain, have you been practising lately?
I think knowing the map also adds an advantage to the player. Keep rockin online and in no time you'll be asking 'why aren't we talking about the game?'
Christopher Quach ,
November 11, 2009
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Wow what a great article. Your point about practice is very true. To keep up in Madden I play at least a game a day. I also play other games but always have one or two that I play alot more than the others.
Johnny Farver ,
November 11, 2009
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Brilliant!
For 6 months I only played COD4 multiplayer,and at the tail end of those 6 months I damned good at the game,if only because I had been playing everyday,practise really does help!
Ultan O'Connell ,
November 11, 2009
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I have this discussion with people in my office on a semi-frequent basis...the modern multiplayer vs. single player debate. I used to be in your camp Brian - why in the world would ANYONE spend hundreds of hours playing a game when you could have played 10 games in that timespan?
To be honest, I'm still not sure...but after becoming an avid TF2 player (probably about 80+ hours so far), there's something more richly satisfying about practicing a multiplayer game to me. They are two very different experiences, you're right - one is more like a sport and the other is more like an "experience", akin to an interactive movie. Thus, the benefits and satisfaction gained from one or the other is a moot comparison...both have their thrills, and neither is better than the other.
I love both. I've learned to really enjoy the thrill of getting better at a multiplayer game (specifically TF2)...I think you trivialize it a bit when you say stuff like who can get to the rocket launcher the quickest. Maybe in some games - at least in TF2, the skill lies in knowing how to best utilize each class, knowing your strengths and weaknesses, and most importantly being able to work as a team. Knowing the map certainly is bundled in that as well, but it's not the most important thing.
The problem is being able to balance both...I often find myself thinking "Well I should play THIS game...but I haven't played TF2 yet". And then several hours later I have to do something and I'm still on TF2.
Garret Staus ,
November 11, 2009
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Really, how is that any different than knowing exactly where the sniper rifle, rocket launcher, or secret passages are on any given MP map? (Although, considering that most games have a lot of MP maps and they change often, I’d say MP gaming is more like a deadlier version of golf.)
