There has never been a better time to be into video games. The quality and complexity of games on consoles and PCs, and even mobile devices, is mind-blowing at times. Of course, every now and then the world gets a Fallout 76, or a Cyberpunk 2077. Fortunately, though, most titles arrive with fewer bugs or issues.
And while these games get more technical and realistic, the user base just keeps growing. Statista reports that there are around 2.9 billion video gamers in the world right now. This figure will surely grow next year, and in the coming years afterward. One of the reasons that gaming has become so popular isn’t just the advanced technology, it is because of the internet.
How did the internet help gaming become more popular?
Back when video games first became popular they were largely played in arcades. Although there were many parents wishing their children would play outside in the fresh air, these darkened arcades still had a very social element to them. Kids competed with each other and shared quarters to play Centipede, Space Invaders, and later on titles such as Gauntlet and Space Harrier.
When the internet came along, it managed to reintroduce that special feeling of being able to connect with other gamers again. Multiplayer games arrived, and individuals could play against each other, or form teams, and of course clans. But there is often a problem in these games, the teams just aren’t balanced.
How can better-balanced teams be made?
When a bunch of individuals is pitted against a professional-style clan, things can be a little unbalanced. In this instance perhaps a team randomizer could be used to break players up.
Creating lobbies and having the option to use a team randomizer would make the game less pre-determined. But this is only one area of why teams are sometimes not balanced.
And, it isn’t just teams. When a game is being played in Death Match mode and everyone is fighting for themselves, there can be a huge imbalance also. These are some areas where developers could look at addressing gaming balance.
Bots vs players
Some, in fact, quite a few, online games use bots. A team randomizer may not work here as it could literally generate one bot team against a completely human team by accident. The problem with bots is that they are either cannon fodder with terrible artificial intelligence, or they are the equivalent of the T-1000 from Terminator 2.
For example, while PUBG Battlegrounds continues to see massive growth, the mobile Lite version suffers horribly from bots. These bots are terribly coded and also very easy to kill. Many times in a PUBG mobile game it feels as if 90 percent of the players are bots. Whether this is linked to the region the server is in, or the fact it is on mobile is unclear.
Other games though, program the bots to be far too good. It is understandable bots are needed to fill out games sometimes, but better balance would help.
Newbies vs pay to play
Another problem area is that newbies can be easily put off playing games when they are thrown in amongst the sharks. Despite there being level-ups and rankings in many games, it seems that when there are player shortages, newbies will be thrown in with experienced players. Influencer Marketing Hub reported that during the first quarter of 2020, mobile gamer numbers increased from 1.2 billion to 1.75 billion.
One wonders how many of these new gamers tried to play Call of Duty or World War Heroes and found themselves blown away by experienced players who have invested hard cash into the game.
Clans vs solo players
In a similar vein to pay to play and pro players, clans also have an advantage over some other gamers. Members of decent clans have earned their positions by putting in some serious gaming hours. Not only that, but they have shown that they can execute their gameplay at a high level.
Being in a clan offers many advantages depending on which title is being played. Often, clans are given access to different skills, higher HP, and other advantages over solo players.
Fair enough you may think. Often these clan members are spending real dollars within the game. However, it doesn’t make for a very balanced game when one team is made up of clan members, and the other team a mix of newbies, seasoned players, and bots.
FPS and HZ and lag
A common complaint amongst mobile device users is that games are simply becoming too complex for their devices. This isn’t surprising really. Developers want to push the envelope and produce better-looking and running games. Maps become larger, AI improves, sounds and graphics take on new levels of quality.
This frankly is great, unless you can’t afford a top-spec gaming smartphone. Players understand lag, and there are easy ways to check your ping in League of Legends. This isn’t an easy area to solve but perhaps when rooms are created they could take into account the ping that is being recorded from each player.
Perhaps though, this problem can only be solved by playing less complex games or by upgrading devices.
Different regions
One issue that does seem to be coming up often is that some regions have better servers than others. If a game is being offered for free then it can be hard to complain too much to the devs if things don’t go as smoothly as you want. However, if you have invested hard-earned money into purchases in the game then surely you deserve to have as good a server as the other regions?
There have been some gamers complaining that the servers in Asia are not as fast as the ones in Europe, or the US. While this doesn’t affect team imbalance as such, if it is true then it can affect the quality of gameplay.
Hackers not being dealt with
A constant big-bear for the average honest player is being taken apart by hackers. Although many game developers do spend time removing hackers, it seems as if this is a persistent problem. While it might not be surprising to find solo hackers roaming around your favorite FPS, what is deeply disturbing is when they are found lurking in clans.
That’s right. Some clans actively have hackers in their groups. If you wish to see a truly imbalanced team in any online game, try fighting against a clan with hackers in it. This is one area that developers should take more interest in, especially considering the money that gamers spend on titles these days.
Summary
The idea of putting team randomizers into games is not new, and there are surely algorithms that are used to make up teams now. Nevertheless, there can be a huge imbalance in the way teams are pitted against each other. There is nothing more frustrating than being shot only to respawn and get shot again by the same player repeatedly.
Of course, that player may just be very good. But then again he might be using an aim-bot, or actually just be a high-powered bot from the game itself.
Despite the concern of imbalanced teams, there is much to look forward to in the coming months though. Gaming is only going to get better and more intense. Perhaps it really is time to just upgrade the smartphone and get on with it.
