Online Multiplayer has become mandatory for Video Games these days. Thanks to the marvel that is the internet, this feature which was once confined to a room has grown into a black hole that has sucked every player in and brought the gaming community closer. Unfortunately, the world isn't a nice place and some players can be rude, neglectful, incompetent, or even picky with one another online. In fact, they can be the worst players for your multiplayer experience.
Here are the Top 5 types of players that drive many into experiencing the dark fantasy of reaching through the internet connection and strangling them during a multiplayer session:
5. The Achievement Nut
Sure, we've all been there; spent extra time playing a game trying to gather those achievements for the sake of a challenge.
But how many of us can safely say we do so at the expense of aiding friends on a dangerous quest through orc-infested lands or in the middle of a firefight in a shooting arena?
That's called Achievement Obsession Disorder and it's bad...really bad! This addiction has been one of the leading causes of rage quits by fellow players during online multiplayer as it can get in the way of what's really important: winning the game. It's especially frustrating when players are trying to work together in friendly competition. Unless the team is all-in for some achievement hunting in co-op mode, this particular habit is a no-go.
4. The Camper
Competitive Multiplayer is a dime a dozen in shooters. Whether it's Free-For-All, Death Match, or Capture The Flag, the overall premise has always remained the same; everyone gets dropped into a map and must run around and shoot each other.
But there's one type of player that dares to defy this law of the virtual jungle: the camper.
In the competitive world of shooters, the camper is reserved as the ultimate coward in these games. He/she will nestle down in a hiding spot on the map -- preferably an elevated position -- and wait until some unsuspecting player comes running across his/her line of fire to be picked off.
The camper can pull this off several times as long as it's a new player entering his/her kill zone for the first time in the match or they have trouble locking in on his/her exact location.
What's worse is that camping can be considered a skill whereas the camper must choose his/her spots carefully and maneuver from one hiding spot to the next to adapt to changing conditions in the match.
Hence, camping is debatable in terms of whether it's an effective strategy against run n' gunners, which is why it's so annoying.
3. The A.F.K. Player
Every player has pretty much encountered this stereotype during a match and the scenario is always the same regardless of the game they play. It goes like this: a team of players are about to engage another in some online match, but as soon as the map loads and everyone is ready to go head to head, one of the members realizes he/she forgot that they left the turkey in the oven and decides to move away from the keyboard, leaving the rest of the team minus one critical pair of eyes on the field.
This situation is classified as "Away From Keyboard" or A.F.K.
and it's frustrating as hell. There are two potential problems with this sort of thing. The first and most likely problem is that the vacant player's character becomes a sitting duck out in the open -- just waiting for the enemy team to mow the player's frozen character down for easy points to win. To avoid that the rest of the team have no choice but to protect the useless player stuck in suspended animation until the player controlling the character returns.
The second problem is that the vacant player could very well be the best member on the team, leaving his pals stuck with an M.V.P. turned A.F.K. until he/she returns to the match. It doesn't matter what the excuse is; whether the guilty player has left food in the oven too long, needs to go to the bathroom, or has an emergency to sort out, that player has become an unwanted liability to the team and a potential target for his fellow players in the real world.
2. The One Man Army
This may sound weird but one of the least wanted players in a team vs. scenario is the guy who can beat them all. Like a beast out of hell he comes into the game, then lays waste to most of the opposing team and consequentially secures the win while leaving behind only scraps for his own team to pick up.
At first this might seem like a good thing, but at the end of the match it's clear who has all the attention. The OMA player doesn't just win a match, he/she owns it and the rest of the team are left out of the spotlight. What's worse is that the OMA player doesn't even have to try to be the best because he/she already is. This fact becomes even clearer for those on the receiving end of the onslaught.
But that doesn't necessarily make his/her teammates' positions seem any better.
Regardless of which side the other players are on, the OMA player will always stand out as the apex predator of the multiplayer jungle and is enough to drive away even the least insecure of players in hopes of finding another habitat with a more balanced match-up.
1. The Racist
Prejudice is, was, and forever will be a primitively stupid thing, but that doesn't stop bold racists from making it abundantly clear that no matter how stupid and primitive it is they're one-sided views have to be heard; spamming the mic with their racial rhetoric.
Fortunately there is a mute option these days for players to cut these virtual fascists off.
Or if that isn't enough, most multiplayer games also have a vote kicking feature to remove them before they completely ruin a fragfest. Still, one way or another, these obnoxious blights will be heard, bringing the fun to a grinding halt.
Although humanity has come a long way politically, religiously, and ethically, racism remains one of several obstacles for the species to overcome. It has found its way into almost every aspect of human life, and sadly, gaming is no exception.
