The gaming industry is constantly evolving to provide players with the most engaging experience possible. When it comes to multiplayer games, skill based matchmaking and cross-play have made online competition broader and fairer. But there are hidden costs to both of these advancements.
Skill based matchmaking
Most major online multiplayer games offer skill based matchmaking and this is welcomed by many players. Before the days of matching players based on rank or stats, newbies and even average players would be decimated by the top of the pack, making the game less enjoyable for a large chunk of the fanbase.
Skill based matchmaking made the online landscape fairer for these less experienced players, who would now find themselves more regularly able to obtain decent scores and have fun.
At the same time, skill based matchmaking has faced some criticism from strong players who now find themselves constantly up against the best. Part of the joy of rising above the competition was the reward of being able to build up a huge kill streak and decimate the map with an airstrike.
Experienced players now face a constant ‘sweat’ against tough competition.
This has also affected Twitch streamers, who find it harder to capture content that keeps their audience thrilled. Sure, it’s exciting to watch a streamer in an even match, but many viewers want to see them run rampant over the competition.
Skill based matchmaking, then, has become a double edged sword. Publishers, meanwhile, are scrambling to keep both sides happy.
Alternate matchmaking options
There are, of course, alternate matchmaking options available that can provide a solution to the problems that skill based matchmaking can bring. For one, players usually have the option to choose to play ranked or unranked matches. The latter has a mixed pool of players.
The other option is private or custom matchmaking. In Fortnite, players can invite friends for private matches, or they can host a custom game for bigger groups. In this case, anyone who wants to join will need a code to enter the match.
These alternate matchmaking options allow players to keep the games as private or as exclusive as they like. However, skill based matchmaking very much has its place and is a welcome addition to multiplayer gaming.
Cross platform competition
Another welcome addition to multiplayer gaming is cross-platform competition. This allows players from different consoles, PCs and even mobile devices to join and compete in the same online games. Many popular games have this feature, from Overwatch 2 and Apex Legends to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
The advantages are immediate. Cross-play breaks down the barriers between friends and strangers playing from different devices, allowing for a more collective and sociable gaming experience. Matchmaking times are also reduced because the player pools are much greater.
Yet even cross-play has brought serious disadvantages to some gamers, namely console players.
The most obvious drawback is that PC players who are using a mouse and keyboard have an edge over console players. The mouse allows for faster and more accurate aiming and the keyboard can be programmed with hotkeys that expand strategical options and can be customized to a player’s style.
There’s also a more subtle, yet sometimes glaringly obvious, annoyance for console players on cross-play. This is the first time they have experienced wide scale hacking. It’s barely worth jailbreaking a console for the sake of winning a Call of Duty match. On PC, however, hackers are rife.
Take Call of Duty, where hacks are available ranging from aimbots with no recoil, to wallhackers who can see enemies through the terrain. With cross-play, console gamers are exposed to a much higher degree of this.
Cross-play can be turned off. But this leaves console gamers with a choice between being a skill level behind and putting up with hackers, or foregoing the advantages of cross-play such as faster matchmaking and more sociable games.
Until the problems with cross-play are fixed and more stringent anti-cheat measures put in place, it a decision that console gamers will continue to have to make.
