DNF: Why This Geezer Plays Offline

[superbus]

It's like I always say: never play against someone you can't punch in the face.

[xITSxDAWKINSx]

i love playing online for the competition. theres only so much a "cpu" can do. saying that i only use my mic with poeple that i know. i will join parties and lobbies but i dont care for them.

[Craigsca]

You make a good point about how it's not just "cheesers" but also the guys that have a hard time losing. That's the root of it all (when it comes to exploits and quitting). Most of the participants are highly immature and can not properly deal with losing.

I think though that a strong case can be made for getting together with friends across the country and just having a good time with a preferred game. From when the Dreamcast introduced online console gaming, I have about 5 guys that I routinely game with online. There's something to be said for that.

Ironic, considering the way the Lakers lost so graciously to the Mavericks a couple days ago.

[nolan273]

Like the OP, I rarely ever play online. Nor am I a big social media guy. All the people that I want to talk to, I have their telephone numbers, and I know where they live. Whenever I do play online, it's usually against my brother. I do have several friends on PSN that I play against once in a while and real friends who come over regularly, so I wouldn't say that I'm a complete gaming isolationist, but I have very little interest in listening to strangers curse and spew slurs during my gaming episodes.

The joy of gaming for me is that it's my escape. I play games to 'get away' for a little while. Being married with two active kids leaves little time for genuine relaxation, so gaming provides me the "me-time" that everybody needs and deserves.

[MINATAURO]

Agreed, as I'm a new father of a 3 month old baby my gaming habits have changed quit a bit as of late. Although I have been in online leagues before you just need to find the right group of friends. I've always played offline for the most part though.

[Darkimpact17]

I play online mostly due to the fact I have a sim group to play with, without it I can't imagine I would play online much.

[209vaughn]

My main reasons I prefer offline dynasty modes.

1) LAG: This is the largest reason I do not play online. I cant play a game of FIFA offline, then go and play online. It's two very very different experiences. The flow, the strategy, the timing is all much different and its frustrating to try and adjust for latency issues. If all you play is online, this is not so much an issue.

2) INVESTMENT: Offline modes I feel like I can invest my time, thoughts, emotions into to create my own little virtual world where I can rise and fall in my sports universe. Online play is much less involved. Game times are shortened, there is no investment into my personal team, no season or career, only static meaningless games, that affect some vague 'ranking'.

[209vaughn]

My main reasons I prefer offline dynasty modes.

1) LAG: This is the largest reason I do not play online. I cant play a game of FIFA offline, then go and play online. It's two very very different experiences. The flow, the strategy, the timing is all much different and its frustrating to try and adjust for latency issues. If all you play is online, this is not so much an issue.

2) INVESTMENT: Offline modes I feel like I can invest my time, thoughts, emotions into to create my own little virtual world where I can rise and fall in my sports universe. Online play is much less involved. Game times are shortened, there is no investment into my personal team, no season or career, only static meaningless games, that affect some vague 'ranking'.

Other games that are impossible to play online due to lag... UFC Undisputed and NBA2k11, good luck trying to do a pick and roll online.... Fight Night some how nailed online play as i dont feel the lag nearly as much.

[Perfect Zero]

I rarely play sports games online because of the commitment you have to put in before the game. In games like Call of Duty, I can play one match or ten matches, but when it comes into online games I have to be ready to commit an hour to the experience.

[thegut]

My experience online has always been terrible on the ps3. It seems like every other person I play either cheeses or talks crap the entire time. I have never had that problem on the PC. I play my ps3 almost exclusively offline now unless I'm playing with friends I know.

[qcsavagelife25]

Good post bro but I agree with all the way, online is way too overrated and truly lacks a lot. On top of that, I'm an occasional gamer but I need to maintain a social life before my gaming and when I hop online who wants to be be paired up with a guy that has a record of 500-348-7?? Dude CLEARLY DOESN'T have a life and will smash me so I just pass on it all together lol

[Matt_350z]

Nearing my mid 30's, I actually love the theory of online play. Its just not feasible for me to get together with a friend and play a game of NHL or MLB:TS at my house, when I actually find the downtime.

Its the execution that ruins it for me. There is just too many things that can go wrong at any given time.
Lag can kill ANY sportsgame. Griefers/cheesers/quitters/poor sports are far too abundant. Getting matched up with an equally skilled opponent seems nonexistant in most sports games. it seems like far too many sports games also suffer from that one exploit that kills the fun and expierience as well.

The NHL series is like the epitome of where I am going. I am using it as an example because hockey is easily my favorite sport, and NHL is the one game I have bought every single year the franchise has been out. Literally every single game(eashl, otp, vs) has boiled down to who can get the most(or the last) of whatever goal is the "money" move for that year. Around January, I realized that at about 175 games in, I hadn't seen a game that was that drastically different than any other one while playing online. I haven't picked it up for online play since.

To me, for any sports game, its just not fun when the game can basically break down to that one play that works almost every time. In my book, there is zero fun in that. I wouldn't play like that against a friend, let alone a stranger I have never met.

[shaunlmason]

I think it is unfortunate that you haven't found a like minded community that you can bond with. I'm lucky enough to be part of the largest collection of mature sports game players on the internet.

I'm not here to promote the site, but communities where you would fit do exist.

[WAT]

Good read. I play online all the time. Alot of NCAA and Madden. Not so much Madden anymore becuase of all the "cheese". One real good experiance I had playing online was Online Franchise for NCAA. Man I had a great franchise going but aborted it after Madden 11 came out. Worst online gaming decision I ever made...

[poopoop]

Re: DNF: Why This Geezer Plays Offline

Disagree.

You have to do some extra steps to find people/leagues that are worth your time, but online play trumps offline play.

Playing in an online franchise, online dynasty or online anything is a lot more challenging and rewarding than playing offline with the computer. Sports games get a lot deeper when you're up against other people who are trying to develop strategies and counter-strategies.

I like losing. I like having to adjust and try to out think people. I like that feeling of unpredictability where I truly don't know whether I'm going to win or lose the next game. Offline play for me at least, is stale and doesn't offer this most of the time.

I pretty much avoid online play in general when it comes to video games. I'd much rather play a solid single player game than a COD or Halo. Not when it comes to sports games though,