Weekly Thought: "OMG, Stat-Crunching Killed my Teamwork!"

Level 1 down, 49 to go…

I have recently realised that - contrary to common belief - there is actually something far more irritating in this world than a frustratingly suave Rod Stewart or the agonisingly dull sport of golf; something so annoying, in fact, that it positively makes my blood boil at the very thought of it and has me chomping at the bit for hours on end. Well, what’s got me tied up in knots? God-damn stat-crunching, that’s what.

I mean, it’s hard to deny that we’re getting into a rather dubious and dirty habit of mindlessly chasing after the next promotion or ravenously hunting down that extra bonus with the rise of the likes of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Battlefield: Bad Company looming over us, isn’t it? Whatever happened to having a good time, for heaven’s sake? While this stat-bashing gameplay can be a great incentive if handled well, far too many players now seem to be forgetting about and thus abandoning the virtues of teamwork and camaraderie due to pursuing that oh-so shiny advancement just over the horizon.

The thing is, does it even matter? Any idiot can slither to the highest peak if they put in enough man-hours, after all. Instead of demonstrating how good you are, aren’t you simply showing that you have more time to waste than everyone else? Honestly, I really don’t understand. High scores and a burgeoning superiority complex proving to be more important than the simple matter of enjoying yourself? Utter rubbish. What’s the pay-off? Sure, nab a decent place on that prestigious leader board and your self-esteem will inflate like a helium balloon, but isn’t there more to be had from gaming than that? Put it another way - “I’ve just spent hours that I could have been enjoying with my mates or family levelling up on my newest video game” - and suddenly it doesn’t seem so worth it. Seriously, tell your girlfriend that you now have a prestige level of fifty and she’ll dump you faster than a tumbling brick.

She’ll also assume that you’re a bit of a nerd compensating for something else, as well.

Guys and girls, is this what you signed up online for? I thought that we were here to have fun together. Isn’t that the point of internet gaming in the first place?