My Thoughts On: First Person Shooters

They're the big hitters. Call Of Duty, Battlefield, Counterstrike. What do they all have in common? They all have a huge online multiplayer scene. Their success in the market lives and dies on how many people play multiplayer. Everyone I know seems to play it in one way or another. Its market saturation is ridiculous. Their single player campaigns are not talked about much. Spec Ops: The Line was one the few to get praise for its single player story at all.

Their multiplayer is clearly the seller. Is it just the appeal of killing random people and playing with friends? Is it using VoIP to insult people as you end their kill streak? Perhaps I'd understand if I was any good at them.

I know that feel bro.

 On one level I understand the idea of competitive play. I understand how it feels to be so in tune with a game's mechanics that friends no longer want to play with you. I understand wanting to find people of a higher level to pit yourself against. I understand the thrill when you play particularly well or dominate a match. I'm not a fan of FPS's, but I get it, I really do.

This needs to not be a thing, ever.

FPS's and players in general get a bad rap and I don't really think it's fair. Sure they saturate the market and their advertising is a little obnoxious, but I think there is some merit to at least the competitive side of FPS gaming.

-Stephen Snook