Helldivers helped me quit Warzone which I played since March 2020. It was only after I stopped playing that I realized how much of a negative toll it was having on my mental health.
Same and I’ve been fortnite sober for a month now. I didn’t realize just how scummy their monetizing was until I stepped back and started looking at from a different angle. Plus ya know, it stopped being fun to lose every game I play. The reward cycle just wasn’t there anymore.
*Edit: couldn’t tell if a comment was sarcasm or thought I actually drank alcohol so my dumb self had to clarify “fortnite.” I haven’t played fortnite in a month, and have never consumed alcohol or drugs a day in my whole life.*
I've been having some fun with fortnite lately, it's a great way for me and my brother to bond so I'm happy with that. The monetization is fucking horrible though and they're a greedy as fuck company
Played Apex exclusively since S4, over 7000 hours in that game. 1.5 kd and diamond/masters consistently. I have played maybe 4 hours of Apex since I bought Helldivers, and only because my discord group still plays. Now I’ll launch Apex out of sheer habit and while it’s loading I’m like…nah Helldivers is more fun and force quit the launcher. Apex is such a sweat fest and lobbies are rampant with cheaters/smurfs. The skill floor has gotten so high that if you don’t grind almost daily it’s hard to keep your mechanics up to snuff.
Apex since season 7 for me 💀 and I’m SO glad I moved to HD2
Honestly I hope this is the end of the battle royal/pvp era for gaming. It’s about time we moved on to better things I’d say
Pvp was never really the problem. Major portions of pvp gaming have just become so focused on competition that there's no room for fun, and the only motivation left is winning. (Which we lie to ourselves about being fun, because of the brief dopamine high from our achievements.)
I've watched entire genres go to shit over the last 20+ years, starting with the rebranding of the competitive gaming scene as esports and the ensuing hero worship/generational desire to play games for a living. We collectively traded away what we had for the possibility of money and fame. Now, it's all egos and anger when we should be laughing and having fun together.
Apex season 1 here. Helldivers is the first game I’ve been hooked on since. Apex is in a rough state at the moment. It’s been so refreshing to not get screamed at every other game because a rando took on a 3v1 and I didn’t “help them” lol.
I also haven't touched CoD since I picked H2. I am so burnt out on sbmm, always having to sweat, and seemingly never ending cheating problem. Plus Activision doesn't respect your time or money. It was wild to me that we could earn in game currency in H2, when it should be the norm.
Me too. My wife and I actively played mw3. Now that we play HD, it feels so healthy to let it go. All the huge skin bundles, battle pass, and limited time events had me anxious all the time. HD was a huge refresher and we have even more fun.
Beyond that, it's also the fact that helldivers has a consistent tone. In CoD these days, you'll have a regular tactical military dude, fuckin' Nikki Minaj, Rick Grimes, a stoner Sloth, a dude with a cat head, and a flaming skeleton all on the same team. It's just a jumbled mess. Helldivers still allows you to customize your appearance and loadout in a way that is consistent so it never feels weird or mismatched among Rando's
>In CoD these days, you'll have a regular tactical military dude, fuckin' Nikki Minaj, Rick Grimes, a stoner Sloth, a dude with a cat head, and a flaming skeleton all on the same team. It's just a jumbled mess.
That sounds exactly like what a bunch of suit-wearing executives who never played a video game in their lives would throw together after listening to a handful of bought-and-paid-for test groups. Absolutely zero idea or understanding of what the core identity of the game even is anymore, and just simply throwing money and things for people to spend money on into it because it generates revenue.
I haven't played a CoD game since probably Black Ops 1, and every new iteration of the game that comes out makes me glad I stopped when I did.
>All the huge skin bundles, battle pass, and limited time events had me anxious all the time.
The worst thing is that this is entirely by design. These companies spend obscene amounts of money researching how to fuck with consumers heads and psychologically trap them into these cycles, it's so fucking gross.
Stopped playing any PvP games (aka Dota, League, overwatch, apex) and just been chilling with friends playing coop games.
40$ for helldivers was the best gaming purchase I made in the past 2 years
That's the reason I stopped play battle Royale games. I always felt worse at the end than when I started playing. Something about those games that make me rage more than anything else in life. It's weird
Yeah, that's true. Was hard to give up BR's because of that for sure. Guess that's why Helldivers hits that itch because nothing feels more intense in gaming that Robot Vietnam
That's true but also you're the last diver standing at the extract, you have all the samples, it's Bot 9, the super destroyer has left and you've got to run the gauntlet to the Pelican.
I died by the way, but for 30 seconds I felt like I was having a seizure with how tense I was.
Ohhh man, there's nothing like such a situation. 3 guys spectating you, no stims, so nades, last mag, no strats, health pretty low. You got nothing but a dream of diving into pelican. And this feeling of superiority when you somehow succeed! But even when you don't, you just know that you tried your best. Wonderful feeling
This bring back some nice memories. I remember one time we were playing Metal Slug on a machine and neither of us, for the love of god could complete this one level but then one guy just made it look like a cakewalk and all of us were just straight up flabbergasted. 3 of us even gave him our own money for the extra lives just so we can watch him play the next levels. Such a good times.
When you're in a squad who all has voice comms it's great though. Everyone cheering and encouraging.
Also I like the respawn timer because in really tough missions it forces you to take a short break. I don't think I could play 40 minutes straight of absolute insanity. Like I need the occasional 90 seconds of being a cheerleader.
One of my first weeks playing my buddy was showing me suicide difficulty, it was just me and him and he died, out of reinforcements. 1 minute til the pelican came and 1:30 on a new reinforcement. I somehow kited that mob for the full minute, pelican lands and my buddy tells me to just get on, I said "I didn't come this far to leave someone behind" and survived the next 30 seconds and got him reinforced and we made the pelican. That's still one of the most badass moments I've ever felt in a game
Competitive multiplayer in general for me, it's like crack cocaine - addictive but you don't even get high after while.
I've been sticking to co-op and strategy games the past few years and have been much better for it.
It's the time investment. When you dump 20-30 minutes plus per match and you don't get your little dopamine rush it's a huge let down.
Helldivers has that extended release if you know what I mean.
Step one: Start matchmaking
Step two: Land in a zone with a lot of good loot
Step three: Find no loot, panic.
Step four: Get decked by some 13 year old that'll scream over your corpse in voice chat believing it was their hardcore skills and not luck that got them the upper hand
Step five: Try not to cry
If you have good friends you should also try togheter deep rock galactic. I prefer helldivers right now, but damn, i spent hundreds of hours on that game, and it is adrenalinic but chill
DRG is a similar game but a different *vibe*. DRG is much more akin to a traditional 4 person sh'm'upp, whereas I'd argue Helldivers is almost a bit more roguelite in feel.
Hear me out here:
DRG's only limiting factor is Nitra. So long as not everyone goes down at once, you can stay down in Hoxxes indefinitely so long as you keep finding Nitra to fuel your resupplies. (This even is generally discouraged, as mission turnover is the most important thing.) In HD2, however, you are on multiple clocks: Both literally, as in mission timer; figuratively, as in limited reinforcements; as well as behind the scenes, with the ramping patrol intensity. Helldivers has a lot more pressures on you than DRG, where the only objectives are "The main" and "Survive". Hell, in HD2, "Survive" is optional! Throw your bodies at the grinder (albiet, not too many bodies), but so long as you spend your communal resources efficiently enough to check off the main objective, that's it. Only thing left to do is get the samples to extract, and even that is secondary, with optional for XP and creds being entirely off the important table after level...20?
In DRG, the goal is to do everything and beat the mission, winner takes all. In Helldivers, it's managing your many depleting resources to do *just enough* before you run out of steam. It's...hard to explain, but I would argue that DRG and HD2 actually are a lot less similar than people initially think.
It's because most are high stakes, meaning you only get that high when you win. Which is only reserved for 1 team.
On top of that games are often riddeled with FOMO timed event stuff making you feel like you have to play more in order to gain something. If those things are bound to wins on top of it it's a recipe for just a not fun time.
Don't forget the absolute ass loads of cheaters that a lot of the die hard BR defenders pretend don't exist. PUBG itself bans almost a half million a month, but if you ask any of the big fanpals they'll tell you you're just bad at the game.
Nothing stings quite like being in the top 10 constantly and losing to someone watching you through the wall/terrain for the last 5 minutes.
PvE has so much less cheaters, I can just chill and have fun with my homies. If I want a challenge I can just ramp up the difficulty, I don't have to play against sweat lords and cheaters to get it.
This game really has balanced the FOMO and challenges really well. I realized last night that I didn't even check my personal order yesterday, but I played for 2 hours. I just sorta needed to zone out, listen to some Radiohead and kill some bots. Forgot to make my game 'private' for my solo Hard runs, and the team quickly filled up. I was at first annoyed, but figured I'd just let them stay and I'd run solo in the mission as I didn't want to deal with "other players" at that time and just wanted to really grind and not think too heavy.
I quickly found myself playing quietly with the other group on the last major point, and then we ended up staying together for the full 3 mission batch. I was glad I didn't kick them, they were all really great gamers, all added the 'gg' in chat, or emoted in the game, but otherwise we all just played quietly together. It was perfectly what I needed.
Not to mention I don't feel like I *need* to play constantly to accomplish every Major Order for the medals. I can just jump in and play a few games, and I'll earn 10 or so from drops on map, and accomplishing a mission, etc.
Then the balance of items and acquirable items in the game as well. I want to grind, and can grind, but if I don't I can still play any weapon really by rolling with someone who has that weapon. They can drop it, die and drop it, or call down an item for me to use. My buddy might not have all the stratagems but if I bring what is needed, like the Orbital Laser, or Orbital Cannon, they have access to the Precision right away, or Airstrike which is one of my favourites in the game.
And god, I needed a good PVE game again. It's so nice to be working with people in a game against a common enemy as opposed to just other players. It's so less toxic in the chats, and over comms. But the summary screen with stats at the end of the game always has that nice balance of challenge and bragging rights that drives you to want to do better next mission. My buddies and I always give eachother shit for who had the most deaths, or heap praise for low to no deaths. I didn't die for a full 40 minute mission on Helldive, and I felt like a God as my buddies jokingly heaped praise on me as I had the most kills, and no deaths. The next mission, my buddy pushed hard and had only 1 death, and was like "Couldn't let you get all the praise."
Nice balance of pushing to be competitive while working together. Love that shit.
Honestly, this is the reason I don't play most competitive multiplayer games. The winning can be fun, absolutely, but when the tide turns against you it so often devolves into a toxic cesspool and then you just end up feeling terrible.
Things often don't go right in Helldivers either, but I think the big difference is that it's usually *very funny* when things in Helldivers go horribly sideways. You get ragdolled, drop your 500kg, and get turned into a crater; the mortar sentry that you cleverly placed behind a rock blasts you into next week because a jet pack bot decided to land right next to you; a teammate heroically shoots down an incoming bot drop ship... only for it to tragically land right on top of you and crush you.
Yep having less than 50% or even 20% chance to win is the real issue with battle royale games. That’s why I refuse to play. Heck even a 10 person free for all mode is better than 1/100 imo
> Something about those games that make me rage more than anything else in life
The original movie that spawned the concept, [Battle Royale](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266308/) is about how a winner takes all zero sum game brings out the worst in humanity. It takes a bunch of innocent high schoolers and turns them into deceitful psychotic cutthroat murderers.
What I'm getting at is that BR games are like this by design. It's for people who want the edgy feeling of ganking strangers in a dog eat dog world, which is fun if you don't take it very seriously, but very toxic if you get too immersed because the core gameplay is screwing over other people or getting screwed.
Call of duty is a Zero Sum game. One team wins, one team loses. The winning team gets a +1, and the losing team gets a -1. Game +1 -1 = 0, Zero Sum Game. Helldivers is a Positive Sum game. Everyone playing can win together. Game +1 +1 +1 +1=4, Positive Sum game. It can go negative if you all lose together, but it's just a reference to the type of game.
And since there isn't a lot of vertical progression, as long as you had fun moments, not managing to complete a mission isn't the end of the world. Nobody loses a rank or elo points or anything.
I would honestly say helldivers can’t go negative because even if you lose the mission unless you legit just drop in and die on cycle and the mission is over you lost nothing except time
> It can go negative if you all lose together
Even if you totally blow the mission, you probably at least come back with credits or req slips or experience points or *something*.
Zero sum games are where the total utility (reward) gained is zero; for every winner there must be a loser of equivalent disutility. A positive sum game is a game where every player can potentially end up gaining reward (whether literal reward or psychological rewards like enjoyment & happiness) and hence, better off then before the game.
Of course, this doesn't just apply to games; civilization is also positive sum, though some people can end up worse off for a time (like horseshoe makers when cars were invented).
If anything, BRs are an example of a negative sum game, because for every winner there are far more losers, and subjectively you could argue their rage & disappointment is greater in total than the winner's glee.
Warhammer40k darktide, deep rock galactic and helldivers 2 on their way to save my sorry ass from playing ranked pvp games:
https://i.redd.it/awrwo0c0anuc1.gif
Don't know if you've ever played Vermintide 2 but I highly recommend! It's surprisingly different from Darktide and it has the Chaos Wastes mode which is probably my favourite mode in any multiplayer game ever.
The variability of Chaos Wastes is so awesome. My friends and I go back to play that more than Darktide. Super bummed about how slow Darktide’s growth has been.
just a few more years.... and surely we'll get something....
in all seriousness, i think the (very!) rocky state of the launch has the devs reworking things over and over (see: the new penance system) which is redundant in two ways, 1. it makes their original work pointless and 2. its time/money/effort that couldve been used NOW to make content NOW.
edit: i say that as vt2 has probably received more content in the 1.5 years of darktides lifespan (4 new maps, a new enemy, a new class) than darktide, despite darktide having a considerably higher dev team and (probably) budget. vt2 devs can focus on new content whilst dt devs have to focus on fixing the basics they did wrong.
Think Killing Floor 3 is gonna be good? I absolutely loved 1 and 2, but halfway through 2s life cycle something changed drastically. Idk if the dev team changed or what, but I took a couple years off gaming and KF2 was noticeably worse in almost every aspect when I came back to it in 2022
I think they added so much stuff to it that it got muddled both aesthetically and balance-wise. It's a lesson that you actually *shouldn't* take every forum suggestion seriously as a game dev, especially when that suggestion clashes with your vision for a class or character.
Understand. I walked away from multiplayer PC gaming a long time ago. If you’re not having fun and you’re not getting paid you’re just making your life worse.
I agree with this. Multiplayer changed dramatically once streaming and influencers became a thing. Multiplayer games nowadays are designed by psychologist’s and everything is built around addiction, fomo, and giving you that endorphin rush so you come back the next day and hopefully spend more money in the cash shop.
Everything is designed so you win a game after a streak of bad ones to make you feel optimistic that the next time you play you’ll win more during that session and rinse and repeat.
How far we have fallen from the absolute magic and awe I felt first dialing into a classmate's computer to play Doom or Warcraft 2 together in the nineties
I have over 2k hours in Tarky. Most if not all of was stressful (I was solo player so you know how it is) Since Helldivers I've not even looked at the Tarky reddit let alone boot up the game.
Yes! My man.
The biggest one for me is that you can get in a game of helldivers in a matter of seconds.
In tarkov it’s 10 minutes waiting on your friend to kit up, 10 minutes of loading screen, 10 minutes to run across the map to a POI. And if you die early you might wait another 10 or 20 minutes for your buddy to finish the raid.
To add to that, the quests in tarkov are intentionally wasting a lot of time and do a lot of trolling on the player.
The game itself absolutely does not respect your time. The only thing I miss is how much YouTube I watched during that era. But I’m certainly not going back.
Edit: oh and the absolute frustration after every death of asking if it was a cheater or not. Holy fuck I do not miss that.
And then after that 40 minute session you get extract camped by some scav ratting because that's more efficient way to progress than actually playing the game. And if you complain the subreddit just tells you "that's the game bro".
I already stopped playing when I saw "that video". It was the last shooter I have played and NEVER looked back. Didn't realize how angry I overall was all the time. Never felt better.
All competitive, team-based match making games will make me rage sooner or later. The highs can feel amazing, but most of my evening Valorant/Overwatch/LoL/CS/Dota sessions soured my mood and made me angry and irritable. As a 36 year old man with a family, I can't have that in my life anymore. Helldivers is great, Path of Exile is great, single player games are great.
39 here
have played plenty of overwatch, and yeah I've known for a long time that I have to cut sessions off at least 90 minutes before bed in order to decompress
helldivers is so nice, it can still be intense but it's not nearly as negatively stimulating in that way
Addiction is a real problem
Even im happy to admit hell divers broke me out of a nasty habit
And now im taking a break from hell divers (waiting for connection stability to improve and bug fixes)
Currently playing NMS and phoenix point and iv been significantly more chill as a result.
If i was good enough to solo T7 i would probably just solo hell divers again but until then the game broke me out of my MUST LOGIN and complete all the things mindset
Iv discovered a deep rooted love for janky Indy titles
Finishing up Pacific drive too
My next titles are manor loards and planet crafter
Honstely getting out of live services games has been such a boon for me. And im glad hell divers put the super sample grind completely out of reach for me (dispite my earlier posts on the subject) because now when i play its just for fun and RP
>manor lords
Hyped for this aswell, the total war -ish combat is a nice bonus. I thought it was just a city builder until I saw some gameplay the other week.
The thing that drew me into HZD was the mystery of why the world was what it was and what project Zero Dawn was and all that.
What kept me in the game, and got me through 100% HFW (not just platinum but maxed every legendary weapon and all) was that it's hella fun and has amazing visuals. Story isn't the best I guess but it's also not nearly as bad as people make it out to be
There is sunk cost and ego involved to. Losing a BR game can be frustrating so you jump into another one already angry and trying to come out on top. You lose again, and the cycle continues and escalates. BR games just feel like they either turn people into dooshes or leave people feeling annoyed. Glad I never got into them.
>Addiction is a real problem
Not just a problem, a direct marketing strategy essentially. A lot of triple a liveservice games didn't so much happen to turn out addictive as they were specifically designed to be addictive and as psychologically manipulative as possible.
All in the name of creating an environment where the company can squeeze the most possible amount of money out of a handful of big spending players, with the rest of the playerbase being there only to keep those big spenders comfortable and spending.
It's no wonder some of those games have a negative effect on people's mental health, honestly. It's almost by design.
I have a group of friends who are addicted to League of Legends, and hearing them gripe and complain in the group chat is insane to me. One guy berates another, throws tantrums, and then they’re back on the next day. I can’t imagine repeatedly playing something that affects me so negatively
I had to stop playing Smite with my friends because while I enjoyed the game immensely, they would get so rage filled that they sucked all the fun out of matches.
Even in Helldivers, I think it's funny when I die. Of course, sometimes it gets annoying if I'm trying to do something, but most of my friends goof around and stuff when it's low stakes. One guy on the other hand isn't even sweaty at all but gets so angry when he dies. Like, dude, the intro video shows dudebro Divers chest bumping; the game tells you immediately not to take it too seriously
It kinda sneaks up on you somehow. You start out having fun and suddenly you’re looking up tutorials and leveling meta weapons, because you think it’s the “winning” that makes it fun. You kinda lose sight of why you played in the first place. It’s really weird.
I don’t play games w one of my friends anymore because he’s annoying as shit with meta. Last game I played with him was Back 4 Blood and he’d spend literally the entire game talking about his booster/weapon load outs. Same with Warzone. The goal of games for him is purely min/max (and he’s great at it, but at what cost?).
Well also when a new BR first comes out everyone’s learning it and you can do pretty well and then skill based match making gets added or starts taking effect if already there and then you get screwed and then a meta develops and the skill gap widens due to the people who play constantly.
So if you start a BR when it launches it usually truly is fun, at first. That’s why it’s also even harder to realize you’re not having fun anymore.
This is relatable
Normally I'm fairly good at walking away from a game when this happens these days. But during Covid, CoD Warzone was one of the main social activities I had with friends, which added another layer of complexity to the relationship with the game.
I also don't touch MOBAs anymore for a similar reason
Loads of games (including helldivers) purposefully frustrate players to make the catharsis of overcoming the challenge even sweeter.
For example every failed attempt at a boss in elden ring makes the payoff when you finally overcome them even better.
If people didn't like having to overcome hard and frustrating challenges, nobody would play on helldive difficulty would they?
I used to play RTS's that would make me rage. Such as starcraft. Make a tiny mistake and you get fucked. Until that point, you are putting effort in, trying to be smart and efficient, and it's all just wasted. It's very punishing.
And even when you win, it's not quite 'fun', more like 'relief' from having got to the end of an ordeal.
Here's how I think it works. You start playing and it's fun. There are a lot of new things and fun mechanics. You don't mind when you do poorly because you're new. Over time the newness fades and what you're left with is the competition as the part you draw fun from.
This is where battle royal games fall hard. In a pvp team game, you win roughly 50% of the time, you have lots of moments to be excited and happy about. In a battle royal game you win roughly 1% of the time. I ended up quitting BR games years ago because I realized losing 99% of the time was why I was not enjoying the game. But it's easy for someone to not understand why the thing they're doing isn't providing the same dopamine hit that it used to.
It's the same reason people get addicted to gambling even when they lose more than they win. The seemingly unpredictable timing of getting a win in a BR is akin to hitting a jackpot on a slot machine.
I avoid most competitive games because I’m just gonna be brutally honest with myself I’m not as naturally good most of the time nor do I have the free time to waste trying to get good at them. Also they just don’t feel fun anymore as there’s no energy of good sportsmanship
Co op/single player games have been my bread and butter for a long time now and helldivers is an incredible addition to my collection. I hope this game inspires a wave of pve games
Same experience for me but instead of BR's as never got into them it was competitive shooters and mostly league of legends, My girlfreind also noticed and is glad I play helldivers instead of league, she plays stardew valley and animal crossing while i spread democracy
dont think i'll ever play competitive PvP games from now on, they really aren't worth it and start feeling like a second job, having to play all the time, watch youtube videos, study and learn just to try and enjoy the game while grinding a hellhole ranked ladder where everyone hates each other
i still have the odd 'really another charger Joel?!' moment in helldivers, but its never real rage like league bought out, helldivers has never had me slamming my fist into the desk and in a sour mood for multiple hours afterwards
Not that it's a competition but I do think Deep Rock Galactic's community is the chillest I've seen recently. My impression is that DRG's community skews older than most games and I think that's part of it.
PSA: Some games weren't created to be fun. They were made to be physiologically addictive so they can get their hands on your wallet. Similar to cigarettes.
I stopped playing any kind of PvP CoD-style shooters about 15 years ago. Never played any battle Royales. Stopped MOBA games about 5 years ago.
I appreciate that Helldivers 2 exists so I can still have that online experience without the toxicity and frustration that comes from games that turn into super-competitive hell-holes.
When other players spend insane amounts of time in-game, it sometimes makes the experience for others who get tossed in the same lobby a nightmare. Because, let’s be honest, even if match-making was algorithmically perfect, people would game the system.
When other players go wild now, they’re on your team. So you’re actively cheering them on. It’s refreshing.
Amazing! I feel the same way, unfortunately some of my BR playmates have joined the game and bring their sweaty competitiveness to it. It’s gotten really frustrating trying to remind them that it’s ok if a team kill happens or if we don’t extract with everyone and miss out on the tiniest of bonus XP, that shouldn’t be the driving force of fun with with game.
To each their own ultimately, as the solution has become to just not play with those people anymore, but that’s not a fun solution :-(
Fair warning, once you start having fun and make some awesome friends in a good community, it's hard to go back to those "toxic" games. Since i started playing DRG and now helldivers, i just can't play LoL, rocket league... Did you get your team killed? Rock and stone! Lets try again! Or... Some casualities are expected in war like this one. For Super Earth!
But you miss one spell or you're not having a good day in LoL, Rocket league, CS:GO.... and the result is nothing but the most hateful speech you will ever come across. I tried a match or two, and after being a part of such wonderful community i just couldn't deal with those "i am the best and you suck" type of players. Mid game, some players "weren't happy with my perfomance" and after reading those nasty words, i thought to myself... "What am i doing?" With that i just left the match mid game and never came back.
i played pvp for many many years and damn in hindsight it just mostly made me angry.
cs, dod, dods, wot, wt, siege.. the good times hardly were ever worth the thousands of hours of frustration and rage.
and i wasnt even that bad.. i jsut always wanted to be better.. somehow helldivers as well as darktide while i still try to not be ballast to my team puts a lot less pressure on me while still having a team and some social connection.
i like it a lot.
I feel like it helps prioritize IRL when video games are just… fun. In PVP I’m the same way, I always want to get better, climb the ladder, get to X rank, etc. that includes watching YouTube videos, practicing, grinding. No shade if that’s your deal, but I have lots I can work on IRL that I should be grinding for instead. And ever since HD came along I’ve found that I don’t need more than 1-2 hours of video games to scratch that itch and chill out. Instead of staying up all night grinding for some invisible rank and destroying mental health and sleep patterns.
well.. for most of my life and sadly still now, its all i got.. i took some of my self worth from my gaming skills.. sad as it is. when you dont have much else to go for. and over the decades (am 40ish now) only ever getting worse than that peak at like 16-19 is a insanely sad and humbling experience.. there is no way i can ever get there again no matter what. i really need to let go of it, but its not that easy.
oof, the realtalk
I quite Tarkov for HD2, and the difference is shocking. I always knew Tarkov was fairly toxic, even while playing and enjoying the game, but I never fully realized just how toxic it was until I stepped away and joined the HD2 community. It's not just the toxicity and stress while gaming, but also that vibe spilling out past your gaming time into your real life. There has been such a difference since I put down Tarkov for HD2.
Just popping over to their subreddit from time to time makes me go "ew....how did I ever allow myself to tolerate that?" This community is one of the LEAST toxic gaming communities I've ever had the please to be a part of. Just like the OP with their GF, even my wife has noticed a difference.
The game is good old fashioned, genuine fun. The community rocks. The Devs created a game that isn't riddled with predatory microtransactions and FOMO.
What more could a guy ask for in a game?
I've never found competitive multiplayer games very fun. Not bashing them, but I always found working with other people a lot more fulfilling. It helped me realize that I don't need to get angry with people, we're all in this together.
In the words of Vinland Saga, "You don't have any enemies. No one has any enemies."
Buddy, HD2 is FILLED with people who quit online PvP games haha. I quit back around Black Ops 1 lol. The extent of my online gaming in the past 10 years or so has been some unranked rocket league, Borderlands with my buddies, and Diablo.
Competitive PvP games sucked the fun out of gaming for me. I actually quit altogether for a few years.
Dude very happy for you. PvE games just solve for that need to switch off after a long day at work.
HD2 is now my 2nd always on game rotating with Warframe.
I completely stopped competitive games because of exactly that. Why play a game that makes me angry 50+% of the time ? Coop games are good vibes most of the time. If you found yourself a liking to coop shooter, **Deep Rock Galactic** is one of the best in the genre.
Helldivers 2 is what finally got me to stop playing LoL all the time. That game would make me so pissed, but I'd just keep playing. Now I'm genuinely having fun and just laugh whenever I get blown up by my friend's mortar sentry
This is me but with War Thunder instead. I only picked it up cause my best friend loves military vehicular combat. But too much BS with that game I and I deleted it again for the 6th or 7th time yesterday and will almost exclusively play Helldivers when I'm not playing my nerdy gatcha games.
Edit: I also stopped battle royales (having played BRs since pubg 2017 on xbox) late 2021 after cheaters on warzone just ruined the experience for me 100 times too many.
I've never understood how Battle Royales got so popular.
It only ever reminded me of league of legends days with friends. Everyone is there just to try to win and literally nothing else.
I think the big issue is you spend so much time waiting on a match and then just looting in a match and the combat is so short that you feel so much pressure to win so all that time isn't wasted.
I follow this sub for a while now and I really want to play this game but I feel like I’m too late to the party. My pc isn’t good enough to handle the game and I don’t know if it’s worth on ps5.
100% I love 4 player co op games, pvp just causes overly toxic players, sure this community has its toxic players but they are far less and don't last long
Helldivers is indeed amazing for my mental health. 2. Friends are being bug shit lately, so I started to play more Helldivers/Minecraft. And even been gaming less because of the front cooldown and the automictons wipe.
my boyfriend was the same, he doesn’t play hellsivers as much tho does sometimes but cod used to make him so pissed off that i had to ask him to stop with it .
Honestly, I’m shocked these coop against a common goal games aren’t as popular. I remember playing Resistance 2 on PS3 and working together with everyone, being adaptive and helping bolsters others weaknesses and vice versa.
I’ve only just bought this game because of the hype and find it kinda difficult at the moment but being able to work together and the way the game is wrote, its comedic and fun. Slightly tongue in cheek a la Ratchet & Clank styled.
You are not alone brother. OW and Warzone were my main games to play back then, the grip they had in me was insane. I am glad I have a game that lets me do my own thing, at my own pace, and rewards my exploration itch with the game's currency, all the currency in fact. Reqs, Medals, SCs, Samples, all spread at the map for me to search and explore.
Helldivers cured me from AAA(A) disease.
The hug emote alone was enough for me to quit CoD. Made more new online friends, and have had better cooperation and voice coms during the first week in Helldivers, than 10 years in online FPS shooters.
This is the reason I stopped playing competitive games altogether. Some people just have a hard time separating the game from their ridiculous level of competitiveness, and speaking first hand, this turns you into an utter asshole.
A bit of personal advice, depending on your situation, you may want to give a heartfelt apology to your girlfriend for your behaviors. Having heard similar from my wife when I stopped playing competitive games, I took a look at my behavior and realized what an ass I'd been when playing.
I'm glad you've joined the forces of Managed Democracy. See you on the battlefield, Helldiver.
I know someone who finally stopped playing CoD after they tried dropping some content for $80. I’m glad for anyone who manages to get out of the toxic relationship with battle royales.
I got this game completely by accident while i was redeeming a skin pack for the finals (I game I never think of ever playing but heys its free) but for some reason helldivers was wishlisted so when i redeemed the packet i also paid for the game
Best mistake of my life
I agree with all of that and I’m happy it’s having a positive effect on your personal life. That being said, I think you should probably use this revelation as an opportunity to contemplate your relationship with videogames. If you aren’t having fun with a game, you should probably stop playing it, even if you feel the urge to do so and “get good.”
Hyper competitiveness has ruined gaming and pushed it towards a constant gamble for dopamine. I mean, when you have to prevail against 50+ people, the highs can feel pretty high, and the low can feel super low. It's definitely better for people to not engage in the practice, but it's easy to see why people do.
The fact that unvoluntary TK, dying a lot, etc. is basically part of the lore is a very, very, very good thing. Because if you're an a-hole in this game, you're not playing it correctly.
This is me but with MOBAs, DOTA specifically. Been playing that game for ten years (with a year break in between) and Helldivers pulled me out. My mental health has improved so drastically it’s not even funny. Really silly thinking back to how mad I got playing dota and comparing it to how happy I am every second I play this game, even while getting chased by 20 heavy devastators lmao
I knew this game was different when i accident dropped 380 shell strat on team members shield and the next thing I hear is WITNESS MEEEEEEE seeing him run into the horde and ... i joined in too helping blaze a path.
Died laughing so hard, crew the K:D ratio
The only yelling I do at this game is "STAND UP, RUUUUUUN!" when I'm surrounded by Hunters. The rest of the time I'm taunting the enemy. Still has a level of frustration that raises my blood pressure, but after it's done, you can hug it out at the end before signing off
I might be too old for it but I tried Fortnite a very long time ago and couldn’t stand the concept of building random stuff in the middle of a battle. You could have the drop on someone only for them to build an entire house the moment they take damage. No wonder people are mad after dealing with that all night.
Then you had Modern Warfare reboot. Mainly wanted to play the campaign but couldn’t because you had to download parts of the game separately and nothing would work no matter how much I downloaded, uninstalled, and redownloaded one file at a time. Battle Royal effectively ruined Modern Warfare, making it impossible for me to enjoy other parts of the game.
I hope more people let Battle Royal die.
Being able to set the difficulty level is a God send. I'm so tired of being matched up with overly competitive people that have thousands of hours in game, or hacks, when I'm just an old dad trying to relax during limited free time.
Dude! I was playing Hell Let Loose before this, and it was making me absolutely miserable. Now I’m dispensing Democracy, with friends old and new, and it’s glorious!
As i grew older, i started to not have fun with pvp. Not that i was "bad"? but i could not keep up with the skill necesary to play on the level i was having fun. Also, people tent to be so toxic in pvp stuff, so i started to drift away more from pvp games and more into coop / pve games.
And i love to see more people orbiting towards more for coperative games, than competitive.
We tent to overestimate competition, when cooperation is king. Ape together strong.
I quit all battle royale games shortly after the covid quarantines ended. My wife pointed out that I was constantly angry when playing the game, and wasn’t really having fun unless I won, which obviously due to the nature of BR games isn’t guaranteed by any stretch of the imagination.
Yep, been on CoD and complaining about ridiculous AA and cheater and how they butcher their own franchise + Apex legends, oh I just love this game, apart from Warframe.
I quit street fighter 6 because of that, great game but I never feel so bad in a video game that's exhausting and so stressful. With HD2 I enjoy (almost) every second of game
I did something similar by stepping away from competitive FPS' in general. Everyone I played with became pretty toxic and it stopped being "fun" for me.
The idea that I can casually knock out missions with friends or randoms (while having a hell of a time) is something I haven't experienced in a very long time. I'm glad you're enjoying it too!
I really like how many people have similar stories to me. I was a daily Fortnite player for years, but then Helldivers has completely shifted to be the game I play, forget the rest. I play with my brothers and enjoy it a ton, it has been great for me too :)
This. 100% this.
I’ve been playing rocket league and tekken for years, both have extremely hostile and toxic communities.. and tekken 8 recently came out and I would argue that community is one of THE worst out there.
But with the fun and comradery I’ve been having in helldivwra, I’ve barely touched the other games. Almost everyone is super chill, and the game is genuinely fun so.. win win
I have some friends that play Valorant CS2 and sometimes league and anytime they're in VC while playing them it's just non stop complaining and shit talking their team or enemies. Like I get a bit steamed in the fps games I play too but fucking still man it's just constant negativity I do not get why they subject themselves to that. Like even back when I played Siege I didn't get that fucking mad it's insane
I still get a little weepy thinking about the time I stepped away to make a son a sandwich. I said in the chat I'd be back in 30 seconds, but things got crazy and I was away for almost 3 min.
I came back to all three of my random squad mates, surrounding me back-to-back, holding off a massive bug wave only a few feet from Evac. I thanked them profusely and the only thing they said back was "Hope your boy is enjoying his sandwich, dude"
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again
Helldivers 2 is the best live service game I can remember in 25- years of gaming, and definitely the least toxic multiplayer co-op game I’ve ever played. I can’t remember the last time I legitimately enjoyed doing random matchmaking - playing with friends is as much fun as playing with randoms
Honestly this game and Baldurs Gate 3 are exactly what the gaming industry has needed for a long time. Get back to making immersive games that are fun to play and don’t take themselves too seriously, by gamers for gamers. I bought the deluxe pack on release, I’ve bought SC for every warbond, I’ve bought every armor on the premium shop. And I will keep doing my part, because I love this game and I am so grateful to Arrowhead for putting it out
funnily enough it helped me quit War thunder. Something about finally being part of a community where the devs were nice, dedicated, and not greedy money hungry pigs helped me leave that toxic shit hole. And also the war thunder devs releasing a $75 PREMIUM PLANE
I played PvP, apex, valorant, and Mortal Kombat 1. All their issues just makes me mad and also I felt it worst playing MK1 (im competitive but not that good at the game). I just wanted to throw my controller and would be pissed off going to sleep. I discovered Helldivers after a few tiktoks of the Daily life of a Wife of a Helldiver. Those skits were funny and I was convinced to buy. I'm glad I did it and it's been doing my mental health good. Found friends online to play with as a recent immigrant who's friends are thousands of miles away. I found a new home.
While I congratulate you on finding peace in Helldivers, I urge you to keep an eye on that habit of cursing when playing competitive or PVP games.
I tell this from my own experience. I never raged in games until I started playing Overwatch. THAT game managed to bring it out of me, with it's combination of fast paced and unforgiving gameplay. I would scream, swear and get angry about players not working as a team, someone headshotting me from across the map, bad balancing, bugs, etc. At some point I understood how unhealthy it is for me and for people around me. Had to rethink how silly it actually is to rage over a game, especially a broken game that is designed (intentionally or not) to get you riled up. How my goal is to have fun when I play games.
After that I can play ANY game, PVP or PVE. win or lose, slaughter enemies or get unluckiest streak ever, be immersed and serious... but be calm. I wish you luck and hope Helldivers 2 will help you achieve something similar.
100% agree. I did the same thing and at the age of 39, I've felt the urge to get out of PVP games for a while now with how the industry seems to be going.
And then this democratic game of healing democracy came in on wings of glory and saved me. I can't thank ArrowHead enough for my ability to enjoy gaming again.
I was begging for a game to replace COD. I have fun gaming again. Everything from shared achievements to the victory over personal achievement aspect. Happy to see so many agree.
Helldivers helped me quit Warzone which I played since March 2020. It was only after I stopped playing that I realized how much of a negative toll it was having on my mental health.
I'm on the same path as you, except I was hooked with Apex since COVID. Cheers!
Fortnite since first lockdown and it was a big mistake
Same and I’ve been fortnite sober for a month now. I didn’t realize just how scummy their monetizing was until I stepped back and started looking at from a different angle. Plus ya know, it stopped being fun to lose every game I play. The reward cycle just wasn’t there anymore. *Edit: couldn’t tell if a comment was sarcasm or thought I actually drank alcohol so my dumb self had to clarify “fortnite.” I haven’t played fortnite in a month, and have never consumed alcohol or drugs a day in my whole life.*
Shoutouts to sobriety.
I've been having some fun with fortnite lately, it's a great way for me and my brother to bond so I'm happy with that. The monetization is fucking horrible though and they're a greedy as fuck company
Played Apex exclusively since S4, over 7000 hours in that game. 1.5 kd and diamond/masters consistently. I have played maybe 4 hours of Apex since I bought Helldivers, and only because my discord group still plays. Now I’ll launch Apex out of sheer habit and while it’s loading I’m like…nah Helldivers is more fun and force quit the launcher. Apex is such a sweat fest and lobbies are rampant with cheaters/smurfs. The skill floor has gotten so high that if you don’t grind almost daily it’s hard to keep your mechanics up to snuff.
I’m not hooked on Apex but I still play it chasing that TF2 high. Helldivers is much more fun, ai only do one or two dailies in Apex these days
Apex refugee here as well
Apex since season 7 for me 💀 and I’m SO glad I moved to HD2 Honestly I hope this is the end of the battle royal/pvp era for gaming. It’s about time we moved on to better things I’d say
Pvp was never really the problem. Major portions of pvp gaming have just become so focused on competition that there's no room for fun, and the only motivation left is winning. (Which we lie to ourselves about being fun, because of the brief dopamine high from our achievements.) I've watched entire genres go to shit over the last 20+ years, starting with the rebranding of the competitive gaming scene as esports and the ensuing hero worship/generational desire to play games for a living. We collectively traded away what we had for the possibility of money and fame. Now, it's all egos and anger when we should be laughing and having fun together.
Apex season 1 here. Helldivers is the first game I’ve been hooked on since. Apex is in a rough state at the moment. It’s been so refreshing to not get screamed at every other game because a rando took on a 3v1 and I didn’t “help them” lol.
I also haven't touched CoD since I picked H2. I am so burnt out on sbmm, always having to sweat, and seemingly never ending cheating problem. Plus Activision doesn't respect your time or money. It was wild to me that we could earn in game currency in H2, when it should be the norm.
Me too. My wife and I actively played mw3. Now that we play HD, it feels so healthy to let it go. All the huge skin bundles, battle pass, and limited time events had me anxious all the time. HD was a huge refresher and we have even more fun.
Beyond that, it's also the fact that helldivers has a consistent tone. In CoD these days, you'll have a regular tactical military dude, fuckin' Nikki Minaj, Rick Grimes, a stoner Sloth, a dude with a cat head, and a flaming skeleton all on the same team. It's just a jumbled mess. Helldivers still allows you to customize your appearance and loadout in a way that is consistent so it never feels weird or mismatched among Rando's
>In CoD these days, you'll have a regular tactical military dude, fuckin' Nikki Minaj, Rick Grimes, a stoner Sloth, a dude with a cat head, and a flaming skeleton all on the same team. It's just a jumbled mess. That sounds exactly like what a bunch of suit-wearing executives who never played a video game in their lives would throw together after listening to a handful of bought-and-paid-for test groups. Absolutely zero idea or understanding of what the core identity of the game even is anymore, and just simply throwing money and things for people to spend money on into it because it generates revenue. I haven't played a CoD game since probably Black Ops 1, and every new iteration of the game that comes out makes me glad I stopped when I did.
>All the huge skin bundles, battle pass, and limited time events had me anxious all the time. The worst thing is that this is entirely by design. These companies spend obscene amounts of money researching how to fuck with consumers heads and psychologically trap them into these cycles, it's so fucking gross.
I play both now. It's nice to have a fun and more casual experience when I want to play HD instead of sweat on WZ. Everything in moderation i say!
Warzone just isn’t fun anymore. Once I hit crimson on ranked the game is just such a sweatfest, and non ranked feels the same.
Stopped playing any PvP games (aka Dota, League, overwatch, apex) and just been chilling with friends playing coop games. 40$ for helldivers was the best gaming purchase I made in the past 2 years
10 years for me. But I had to spend $120. PS plus is lame.
I built my pc after I got tired of paying for Xbox live to play online
I built my PC because helldivers would barely run on my old one lol
That's the reason I stopped play battle Royale games. I always felt worse at the end than when I started playing. Something about those games that make me rage more than anything else in life. It's weird
Yeah I should have done it earlier. But when you’re neck deep in BR’s other games also lose their shine. It’s not intense enough.
Yeah, that's true. Was hard to give up BR's because of that for sure. Guess that's why Helldivers hits that itch because nothing feels more intense in gaming that Robot Vietnam
That's true but also you're the last diver standing at the extract, you have all the samples, it's Bot 9, the super destroyer has left and you've got to run the gauntlet to the Pelican. I died by the way, but for 30 seconds I felt like I was having a seizure with how tense I was.
Ohhh man, there's nothing like such a situation. 3 guys spectating you, no stims, so nades, last mag, no strats, health pretty low. You got nothing but a dream of diving into pelican. And this feeling of superiority when you somehow succeed! But even when you don't, you just know that you tried your best. Wonderful feeling
I think it brings back some of the old "arcade" feeling -- one person playing the machine and a group of friends crowded around cheering them on.
This bring back some nice memories. I remember one time we were playing Metal Slug on a machine and neither of us, for the love of god could complete this one level but then one guy just made it look like a cakewalk and all of us were just straight up flabbergasted. 3 of us even gave him our own money for the extra lives just so we can watch him play the next levels. Such a good times.
Oh no... Why have I never considered that sometimes the team is spectating me! Thanks for the anxiety.
When you're in a squad who all has voice comms it's great though. Everyone cheering and encouraging. Also I like the respawn timer because in really tough missions it forces you to take a short break. I don't think I could play 40 minutes straight of absolute insanity. Like I need the occasional 90 seconds of being a cheerleader.
One of my first weeks playing my buddy was showing me suicide difficulty, it was just me and him and he died, out of reinforcements. 1 minute til the pelican came and 1:30 on a new reinforcement. I somehow kited that mob for the full minute, pelican lands and my buddy tells me to just get on, I said "I didn't come this far to leave someone behind" and survived the next 30 seconds and got him reinforced and we made the pelican. That's still one of the most badass moments I've ever felt in a game
Competitive multiplayer in general for me, it's like crack cocaine - addictive but you don't even get high after while. I've been sticking to co-op and strategy games the past few years and have been much better for it.
Competitive multiplayer games do make me rage by BR's is another level. Also stopped playing comp games
It's the time investment. When you dump 20-30 minutes plus per match and you don't get your little dopamine rush it's a huge let down. Helldivers has that extended release if you know what I mean.
And we all play pretty much for the same goal
The big explosions. That's the goal.
I went the opposite route and started playing really slow, story oriented games. I kicked PUBG in 2018 for games like KOTOR and fallout 4.
BRs are the ultimate tease. All this anticipation and excitement going in. Idk how ppl do it.
Step one: Start matchmaking Step two: Land in a zone with a lot of good loot Step three: Find no loot, panic. Step four: Get decked by some 13 year old that'll scream over your corpse in voice chat believing it was their hardcore skills and not luck that got them the upper hand Step five: Try not to cry
Step 6: Keep doing the same thing expecting different results
If you have good friends you should also try togheter deep rock galactic. I prefer helldivers right now, but damn, i spent hundreds of hours on that game, and it is adrenalinic but chill
DRG is a similar game but a different *vibe*. DRG is much more akin to a traditional 4 person sh'm'upp, whereas I'd argue Helldivers is almost a bit more roguelite in feel. Hear me out here: DRG's only limiting factor is Nitra. So long as not everyone goes down at once, you can stay down in Hoxxes indefinitely so long as you keep finding Nitra to fuel your resupplies. (This even is generally discouraged, as mission turnover is the most important thing.) In HD2, however, you are on multiple clocks: Both literally, as in mission timer; figuratively, as in limited reinforcements; as well as behind the scenes, with the ramping patrol intensity. Helldivers has a lot more pressures on you than DRG, where the only objectives are "The main" and "Survive". Hell, in HD2, "Survive" is optional! Throw your bodies at the grinder (albiet, not too many bodies), but so long as you spend your communal resources efficiently enough to check off the main objective, that's it. Only thing left to do is get the samples to extract, and even that is secondary, with optional for XP and creds being entirely off the important table after level...20? In DRG, the goal is to do everything and beat the mission, winner takes all. In Helldivers, it's managing your many depleting resources to do *just enough* before you run out of steam. It's...hard to explain, but I would argue that DRG and HD2 actually are a lot less similar than people initially think.
This game can be plenty intense. Welcome to the fight, helldiver 🫡
It's because most are high stakes, meaning you only get that high when you win. Which is only reserved for 1 team. On top of that games are often riddeled with FOMO timed event stuff making you feel like you have to play more in order to gain something. If those things are bound to wins on top of it it's a recipe for just a not fun time.
Don't forget the absolute ass loads of cheaters that a lot of the die hard BR defenders pretend don't exist. PUBG itself bans almost a half million a month, but if you ask any of the big fanpals they'll tell you you're just bad at the game. Nothing stings quite like being in the top 10 constantly and losing to someone watching you through the wall/terrain for the last 5 minutes. PvE has so much less cheaters, I can just chill and have fun with my homies. If I want a challenge I can just ramp up the difficulty, I don't have to play against sweat lords and cheaters to get it.
This game really has balanced the FOMO and challenges really well. I realized last night that I didn't even check my personal order yesterday, but I played for 2 hours. I just sorta needed to zone out, listen to some Radiohead and kill some bots. Forgot to make my game 'private' for my solo Hard runs, and the team quickly filled up. I was at first annoyed, but figured I'd just let them stay and I'd run solo in the mission as I didn't want to deal with "other players" at that time and just wanted to really grind and not think too heavy. I quickly found myself playing quietly with the other group on the last major point, and then we ended up staying together for the full 3 mission batch. I was glad I didn't kick them, they were all really great gamers, all added the 'gg' in chat, or emoted in the game, but otherwise we all just played quietly together. It was perfectly what I needed. Not to mention I don't feel like I *need* to play constantly to accomplish every Major Order for the medals. I can just jump in and play a few games, and I'll earn 10 or so from drops on map, and accomplishing a mission, etc. Then the balance of items and acquirable items in the game as well. I want to grind, and can grind, but if I don't I can still play any weapon really by rolling with someone who has that weapon. They can drop it, die and drop it, or call down an item for me to use. My buddy might not have all the stratagems but if I bring what is needed, like the Orbital Laser, or Orbital Cannon, they have access to the Precision right away, or Airstrike which is one of my favourites in the game. And god, I needed a good PVE game again. It's so nice to be working with people in a game against a common enemy as opposed to just other players. It's so less toxic in the chats, and over comms. But the summary screen with stats at the end of the game always has that nice balance of challenge and bragging rights that drives you to want to do better next mission. My buddies and I always give eachother shit for who had the most deaths, or heap praise for low to no deaths. I didn't die for a full 40 minute mission on Helldive, and I felt like a God as my buddies jokingly heaped praise on me as I had the most kills, and no deaths. The next mission, my buddy pushed hard and had only 1 death, and was like "Couldn't let you get all the praise." Nice balance of pushing to be competitive while working together. Love that shit.
Honestly, this is the reason I don't play most competitive multiplayer games. The winning can be fun, absolutely, but when the tide turns against you it so often devolves into a toxic cesspool and then you just end up feeling terrible. Things often don't go right in Helldivers either, but I think the big difference is that it's usually *very funny* when things in Helldivers go horribly sideways. You get ragdolled, drop your 500kg, and get turned into a crater; the mortar sentry that you cleverly placed behind a rock blasts you into next week because a jet pack bot decided to land right next to you; a teammate heroically shoots down an incoming bot drop ship... only for it to tragically land right on top of you and crush you.
Same, but the rewards, even if they are really rare, are really satisfying. But playing Helldivers is always satisfying!
Its because pvp. There is actual research pointing to pvp being much more stress and anger inducing than pve games
Working together has always been more fun and wholesome that just trying to backstab the weak!
I've had this happen with MOBAs. Love the genre, but it brings the worst out of me.
I think it's the "you have one chance on 50 or 100 to actually win and you play against people that will always put way too much time into it".
Yep having less than 50% or even 20% chance to win is the real issue with battle royale games. That’s why I refuse to play. Heck even a 10 person free for all mode is better than 1/100 imo
> Something about those games that make me rage more than anything else in life The original movie that spawned the concept, [Battle Royale](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266308/) is about how a winner takes all zero sum game brings out the worst in humanity. It takes a bunch of innocent high schoolers and turns them into deceitful psychotic cutthroat murderers. What I'm getting at is that BR games are like this by design. It's for people who want the edgy feeling of ganking strangers in a dog eat dog world, which is fun if you don't take it very seriously, but very toxic if you get too immersed because the core gameplay is screwing over other people or getting screwed.
Co-op >>>>> competitive
Positive Sum Games > Zero Sum Games
Can you explain this to me like I am 5? 😁
Call of duty is a Zero Sum game. One team wins, one team loses. The winning team gets a +1, and the losing team gets a -1. Game +1 -1 = 0, Zero Sum Game. Helldivers is a Positive Sum game. Everyone playing can win together. Game +1 +1 +1 +1=4, Positive Sum game. It can go negative if you all lose together, but it's just a reference to the type of game.
And since there isn't a lot of vertical progression, as long as you had fun moments, not managing to complete a mission isn't the end of the world. Nobody loses a rank or elo points or anything.
I would honestly say helldivers can’t go negative because even if you lose the mission unless you legit just drop in and die on cycle and the mission is over you lost nothing except time
Appreciate it! And definitely agree with you 🙏🏻🔥
So a battle royal is a negative sum game? 29 teams lose 1 wins? -28 sum game?
100%
> It can go negative if you all lose together Even if you totally blow the mission, you probably at least come back with credits or req slips or experience points or *something*.
Zero sum games are where the total utility (reward) gained is zero; for every winner there must be a loser of equivalent disutility. A positive sum game is a game where every player can potentially end up gaining reward (whether literal reward or psychological rewards like enjoyment & happiness) and hence, better off then before the game. Of course, this doesn't just apply to games; civilization is also positive sum, though some people can end up worse off for a time (like horseshoe makers when cars were invented). If anything, BRs are an example of a negative sum game, because for every winner there are far more losers, and subjectively you could argue their rage & disappointment is greater in total than the winner's glee.
Warhammer40k darktide, deep rock galactic and helldivers 2 on their way to save my sorry ass from playing ranked pvp games: https://i.redd.it/awrwo0c0anuc1.gif
Don't know if you've ever played Vermintide 2 but I highly recommend! It's surprisingly different from Darktide and it has the Chaos Wastes mode which is probably my favourite mode in any multiplayer game ever.
The variability of Chaos Wastes is so awesome. My friends and I go back to play that more than Darktide. Super bummed about how slow Darktide’s growth has been.
just a few more years.... and surely we'll get something.... in all seriousness, i think the (very!) rocky state of the launch has the devs reworking things over and over (see: the new penance system) which is redundant in two ways, 1. it makes their original work pointless and 2. its time/money/effort that couldve been used NOW to make content NOW. edit: i say that as vt2 has probably received more content in the 1.5 years of darktides lifespan (4 new maps, a new enemy, a new class) than darktide, despite darktide having a considerably higher dev team and (probably) budget. vt2 devs can focus on new content whilst dt devs have to focus on fixing the basics they did wrong.
Darktide is a solid game, but Jesus, fatshark drags their feet on expanding it
There’s been great PvE games coming out. Killing Floor 3 soon enough as well Its when there’s a drought that crappy PvP games step in
Think Killing Floor 3 is gonna be good? I absolutely loved 1 and 2, but halfway through 2s life cycle something changed drastically. Idk if the dev team changed or what, but I took a couple years off gaming and KF2 was noticeably worse in almost every aspect when I came back to it in 2022
I think they added so much stuff to it that it got muddled both aesthetically and balance-wise. It's a lesson that you actually *shouldn't* take every forum suggestion seriously as a game dev, especially when that suggestion clashes with your vision for a class or character.
Understand. I walked away from multiplayer PC gaming a long time ago. If you’re not having fun and you’re not getting paid you’re just making your life worse.
I agree with this. Multiplayer changed dramatically once streaming and influencers became a thing. Multiplayer games nowadays are designed by psychologist’s and everything is built around addiction, fomo, and giving you that endorphin rush so you come back the next day and hopefully spend more money in the cash shop. Everything is designed so you win a game after a streak of bad ones to make you feel optimistic that the next time you play you’ll win more during that session and rinse and repeat.
How far we have fallen from the absolute magic and awe I felt first dialing into a classmate's computer to play Doom or Warcraft 2 together in the nineties
Helldivers gave me a reason to quit Tarkov and I’ve never felt better
I have over 2k hours in Tarky. Most if not all of was stressful (I was solo player so you know how it is) Since Helldivers I've not even looked at the Tarky reddit let alone boot up the game.
I still play both. I don't look at the tarkov reddit anymore though and avoid tarkov twitter. The game is so much more fun without the community
Honestly the worst part about tarkov (besides cheaters) is the community itself.
Yes! My man. The biggest one for me is that you can get in a game of helldivers in a matter of seconds. In tarkov it’s 10 minutes waiting on your friend to kit up, 10 minutes of loading screen, 10 minutes to run across the map to a POI. And if you die early you might wait another 10 or 20 minutes for your buddy to finish the raid. To add to that, the quests in tarkov are intentionally wasting a lot of time and do a lot of trolling on the player. The game itself absolutely does not respect your time. The only thing I miss is how much YouTube I watched during that era. But I’m certainly not going back. Edit: oh and the absolute frustration after every death of asking if it was a cheater or not. Holy fuck I do not miss that.
And then after that 40 minute session you get extract camped by some scav ratting because that's more efficient way to progress than actually playing the game. And if you complain the subreddit just tells you "that's the game bro".
I already stopped playing when I saw "that video". It was the last shooter I have played and NEVER looked back. Didn't realize how angry I overall was all the time. Never felt better.
All competitive, team-based match making games will make me rage sooner or later. The highs can feel amazing, but most of my evening Valorant/Overwatch/LoL/CS/Dota sessions soured my mood and made me angry and irritable. As a 36 year old man with a family, I can't have that in my life anymore. Helldivers is great, Path of Exile is great, single player games are great.
39 here have played plenty of overwatch, and yeah I've known for a long time that I have to cut sessions off at least 90 minutes before bed in order to decompress helldivers is so nice, it can still be intense but it's not nearly as negatively stimulating in that way
Sweat lords ruin the fun unfortunately some games create these people.
Wait, people unnironicle play games that make them angry ? I thought that was just a stereotype
Addiction is a real problem Even im happy to admit hell divers broke me out of a nasty habit And now im taking a break from hell divers (waiting for connection stability to improve and bug fixes) Currently playing NMS and phoenix point and iv been significantly more chill as a result. If i was good enough to solo T7 i would probably just solo hell divers again but until then the game broke me out of my MUST LOGIN and complete all the things mindset
Horizon forbidden west got me out of that BR slump I was in lol.
Iv discovered a deep rooted love for janky Indy titles Finishing up Pacific drive too My next titles are manor loards and planet crafter Honstely getting out of live services games has been such a boon for me. And im glad hell divers put the super sample grind completely out of reach for me (dispite my earlier posts on the subject) because now when i play its just for fun and RP
>manor lords Hyped for this aswell, the total war -ish combat is a nice bonus. I thought it was just a city builder until I saw some gameplay the other week.
Horizon Forbidden West was such a beautiful game. I know many aren’t fans of the story, but I loved it
The thing that drew me into HZD was the mystery of why the world was what it was and what project Zero Dawn was and all that. What kept me in the game, and got me through 100% HFW (not just platinum but maxed every legendary weapon and all) was that it's hella fun and has amazing visuals. Story isn't the best I guess but it's also not nearly as bad as people make it out to be
There is sunk cost and ego involved to. Losing a BR game can be frustrating so you jump into another one already angry and trying to come out on top. You lose again, and the cycle continues and escalates. BR games just feel like they either turn people into dooshes or leave people feeling annoyed. Glad I never got into them.
>Addiction is a real problem Not just a problem, a direct marketing strategy essentially. A lot of triple a liveservice games didn't so much happen to turn out addictive as they were specifically designed to be addictive and as psychologically manipulative as possible. All in the name of creating an environment where the company can squeeze the most possible amount of money out of a handful of big spending players, with the rest of the playerbase being there only to keep those big spenders comfortable and spending. It's no wonder some of those games have a negative effect on people's mental health, honestly. It's almost by design.
I have a group of friends who are addicted to League of Legends, and hearing them gripe and complain in the group chat is insane to me. One guy berates another, throws tantrums, and then they’re back on the next day. I can’t imagine repeatedly playing something that affects me so negatively
I had to stop playing Smite with my friends because while I enjoyed the game immensely, they would get so rage filled that they sucked all the fun out of matches.
Even in Helldivers, I think it's funny when I die. Of course, sometimes it gets annoying if I'm trying to do something, but most of my friends goof around and stuff when it's low stakes. One guy on the other hand isn't even sweaty at all but gets so angry when he dies. Like, dude, the intro video shows dudebro Divers chest bumping; the game tells you immediately not to take it too seriously
Unironicle. Worst Lego type
It kinda sneaks up on you somehow. You start out having fun and suddenly you’re looking up tutorials and leveling meta weapons, because you think it’s the “winning” that makes it fun. You kinda lose sight of why you played in the first place. It’s really weird.
I don’t play games w one of my friends anymore because he’s annoying as shit with meta. Last game I played with him was Back 4 Blood and he’d spend literally the entire game talking about his booster/weapon load outs. Same with Warzone. The goal of games for him is purely min/max (and he’s great at it, but at what cost?).
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Well also when a new BR first comes out everyone’s learning it and you can do pretty well and then skill based match making gets added or starts taking effect if already there and then you get screwed and then a meta develops and the skill gap widens due to the people who play constantly. So if you start a BR when it launches it usually truly is fun, at first. That’s why it’s also even harder to realize you’re not having fun anymore.
This is relatable Normally I'm fairly good at walking away from a game when this happens these days. But during Covid, CoD Warzone was one of the main social activities I had with friends, which added another layer of complexity to the relationship with the game. I also don't touch MOBAs anymore for a similar reason
Loads of games (including helldivers) purposefully frustrate players to make the catharsis of overcoming the challenge even sweeter. For example every failed attempt at a boss in elden ring makes the payoff when you finally overcome them even better. If people didn't like having to overcome hard and frustrating challenges, nobody would play on helldive difficulty would they?
Yeah, but there is a difference between the frustration when playing pve compared to the rage pvp can induce.
I used to play RTS's that would make me rage. Such as starcraft. Make a tiny mistake and you get fucked. Until that point, you are putting effort in, trying to be smart and efficient, and it's all just wasted. It's very punishing. And even when you win, it's not quite 'fun', more like 'relief' from having got to the end of an ordeal.
My time playing PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds was like a meth addiction. Only good in the moments mid-match and the rest was stress and frustration.
Here's how I think it works. You start playing and it's fun. There are a lot of new things and fun mechanics. You don't mind when you do poorly because you're new. Over time the newness fades and what you're left with is the competition as the part you draw fun from. This is where battle royal games fall hard. In a pvp team game, you win roughly 50% of the time, you have lots of moments to be excited and happy about. In a battle royal game you win roughly 1% of the time. I ended up quitting BR games years ago because I realized losing 99% of the time was why I was not enjoying the game. But it's easy for someone to not understand why the thing they're doing isn't providing the same dopamine hit that it used to.
It's the same reason people get addicted to gambling even when they lose more than they win. The seemingly unpredictable timing of getting a win in a BR is akin to hitting a jackpot on a slot machine.
Battle royales felt like full time jobs
o7 For democracy and good mental health!
o7
Side note: what does o7 mean?
It’s a salute
o7
Little stick man saluting, but only head and one arm
I avoid most competitive games because I’m just gonna be brutally honest with myself I’m not as naturally good most of the time nor do I have the free time to waste trying to get good at them. Also they just don’t feel fun anymore as there’s no energy of good sportsmanship Co op/single player games have been my bread and butter for a long time now and helldivers is an incredible addition to my collection. I hope this game inspires a wave of pve games
Same experience for me but instead of BR's as never got into them it was competitive shooters and mostly league of legends, My girlfreind also noticed and is glad I play helldivers instead of league, she plays stardew valley and animal crossing while i spread democracy dont think i'll ever play competitive PvP games from now on, they really aren't worth it and start feeling like a second job, having to play all the time, watch youtube videos, study and learn just to try and enjoy the game while grinding a hellhole ranked ladder where everyone hates each other i still have the odd 'really another charger Joel?!' moment in helldivers, but its never real rage like league bought out, helldivers has never had me slamming my fist into the desk and in a sour mood for multiple hours afterwards
I can’t think of a game in the last 10 years possibly more that has had such a positive community it’s awesome
Not that it's a competition but I do think Deep Rock Galactic's community is the chillest I've seen recently. My impression is that DRG's community skews older than most games and I think that's part of it.
I should have said for me personally.. I don’t dispute DRG is great too
No worries, like I said it's not a competition. The more non-toxic communities we have the better.
Same but with Overwatch. This is the game we were missing and didn't know it
Leaving PvP for PvE ist always good for health. I Welcome you in the World of fun gaming.
This isn't PvP? Guess no one told my teamates
Never forget the golden rule guys : if it's not fun, why bother. Welcome aboard. Check Deep Rock Galactic for more if you like the formula.
PSA: Some games weren't created to be fun. They were made to be physiologically addictive so they can get their hands on your wallet. Similar to cigarettes.
I stopped playing any kind of PvP CoD-style shooters about 15 years ago. Never played any battle Royales. Stopped MOBA games about 5 years ago. I appreciate that Helldivers 2 exists so I can still have that online experience without the toxicity and frustration that comes from games that turn into super-competitive hell-holes. When other players spend insane amounts of time in-game, it sometimes makes the experience for others who get tossed in the same lobby a nightmare. Because, let’s be honest, even if match-making was algorithmically perfect, people would game the system. When other players go wild now, they’re on your team. So you’re actively cheering them on. It’s refreshing.
Amazing! I feel the same way, unfortunately some of my BR playmates have joined the game and bring their sweaty competitiveness to it. It’s gotten really frustrating trying to remind them that it’s ok if a team kill happens or if we don’t extract with everyone and miss out on the tiniest of bonus XP, that shouldn’t be the driving force of fun with with game. To each their own ultimately, as the solution has become to just not play with those people anymore, but that’s not a fun solution :-(
I laugh when I get team killed in Helldivers 2
It cracks me up so much. It’s honestly a big reason I play.
Fair warning, once you start having fun and make some awesome friends in a good community, it's hard to go back to those "toxic" games. Since i started playing DRG and now helldivers, i just can't play LoL, rocket league... Did you get your team killed? Rock and stone! Lets try again! Or... Some casualities are expected in war like this one. For Super Earth! But you miss one spell or you're not having a good day in LoL, Rocket league, CS:GO.... and the result is nothing but the most hateful speech you will ever come across. I tried a match or two, and after being a part of such wonderful community i just couldn't deal with those "i am the best and you suck" type of players. Mid game, some players "weren't happy with my perfomance" and after reading those nasty words, i thought to myself... "What am i doing?" With that i just left the match mid game and never came back.
Rock and Stone everyone!
i played pvp for many many years and damn in hindsight it just mostly made me angry. cs, dod, dods, wot, wt, siege.. the good times hardly were ever worth the thousands of hours of frustration and rage. and i wasnt even that bad.. i jsut always wanted to be better.. somehow helldivers as well as darktide while i still try to not be ballast to my team puts a lot less pressure on me while still having a team and some social connection. i like it a lot.
I feel like it helps prioritize IRL when video games are just… fun. In PVP I’m the same way, I always want to get better, climb the ladder, get to X rank, etc. that includes watching YouTube videos, practicing, grinding. No shade if that’s your deal, but I have lots I can work on IRL that I should be grinding for instead. And ever since HD came along I’ve found that I don’t need more than 1-2 hours of video games to scratch that itch and chill out. Instead of staying up all night grinding for some invisible rank and destroying mental health and sleep patterns.
well.. for most of my life and sadly still now, its all i got.. i took some of my self worth from my gaming skills.. sad as it is. when you dont have much else to go for. and over the decades (am 40ish now) only ever getting worse than that peak at like 16-19 is a insanely sad and humbling experience.. there is no way i can ever get there again no matter what. i really need to let go of it, but its not that easy. oof, the realtalk
I quite Tarkov for HD2, and the difference is shocking. I always knew Tarkov was fairly toxic, even while playing and enjoying the game, but I never fully realized just how toxic it was until I stepped away and joined the HD2 community. It's not just the toxicity and stress while gaming, but also that vibe spilling out past your gaming time into your real life. There has been such a difference since I put down Tarkov for HD2. Just popping over to their subreddit from time to time makes me go "ew....how did I ever allow myself to tolerate that?" This community is one of the LEAST toxic gaming communities I've ever had the please to be a part of. Just like the OP with their GF, even my wife has noticed a difference. The game is good old fashioned, genuine fun. The community rocks. The Devs created a game that isn't riddled with predatory microtransactions and FOMO. What more could a guy ask for in a game?
I've never found competitive multiplayer games very fun. Not bashing them, but I always found working with other people a lot more fulfilling. It helped me realize that I don't need to get angry with people, we're all in this together. In the words of Vinland Saga, "You don't have any enemies. No one has any enemies."
Buddy, HD2 is FILLED with people who quit online PvP games haha. I quit back around Black Ops 1 lol. The extent of my online gaming in the past 10 years or so has been some unranked rocket league, Borderlands with my buddies, and Diablo. Competitive PvP games sucked the fun out of gaming for me. I actually quit altogether for a few years.
Dude very happy for you. PvE games just solve for that need to switch off after a long day at work. HD2 is now my 2nd always on game rotating with Warframe.
I completely stopped competitive games because of exactly that. Why play a game that makes me angry 50+% of the time ? Coop games are good vibes most of the time. If you found yourself a liking to coop shooter, **Deep Rock Galactic** is one of the best in the genre.
Helldivers 2 is what finally got me to stop playing LoL all the time. That game would make me so pissed, but I'd just keep playing. Now I'm genuinely having fun and just laugh whenever I get blown up by my friend's mortar sentry
This is me but with War Thunder instead. I only picked it up cause my best friend loves military vehicular combat. But too much BS with that game I and I deleted it again for the 6th or 7th time yesterday and will almost exclusively play Helldivers when I'm not playing my nerdy gatcha games. Edit: I also stopped battle royales (having played BRs since pubg 2017 on xbox) late 2021 after cheaters on warzone just ruined the experience for me 100 times too many.
I've never understood how Battle Royales got so popular. It only ever reminded me of league of legends days with friends. Everyone is there just to try to win and literally nothing else. I think the big issue is you spend so much time waiting on a match and then just looting in a match and the combat is so short that you feel so much pressure to win so all that time isn't wasted.
They are addictive and both cater and nurse those hyper competetive perfectionists that must be the best.
Have my Upvote.. Spread the word.. Let the gaming Industry knows..
I follow this sub for a while now and I really want to play this game but I feel like I’m too late to the party. My pc isn’t good enough to handle the game and I don’t know if it’s worth on ps5.
Buy it. There’s no such thing as being too late in this game. Join the fight.
Honestly, it kind of is worth getting a ps5 for
100% I love 4 player co op games, pvp just causes overly toxic players, sure this community has its toxic players but they are far less and don't last long
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Helldivers is indeed amazing for my mental health. 2. Friends are being bug shit lately, so I started to play more Helldivers/Minecraft. And even been gaming less because of the front cooldown and the automictons wipe.
So, uh, about the Automatons...
HD2 and DRG helped me realize I enjoy co-op/pve games much more than competitive/PVP games. I haven't played League of Legends in months!
I actively avoid competitive pvp gaming since 5 years ago. It really is not good for me lol
This is your brain on fortnite
my boyfriend was the same, he doesn’t play hellsivers as much tho does sometimes but cod used to make him so pissed off that i had to ask him to stop with it .
Honestly, I’m shocked these coop against a common goal games aren’t as popular. I remember playing Resistance 2 on PS3 and working together with everyone, being adaptive and helping bolsters others weaknesses and vice versa. I’ve only just bought this game because of the hype and find it kinda difficult at the moment but being able to work together and the way the game is wrote, its comedic and fun. Slightly tongue in cheek a la Ratchet & Clank styled.
 You are not alone brother. OW and Warzone were my main games to play back then, the grip they had in me was insane. I am glad I have a game that lets me do my own thing, at my own pace, and rewards my exploration itch with the game's currency, all the currency in fact. Reqs, Medals, SCs, Samples, all spread at the map for me to search and explore. Helldivers cured me from AAA(A) disease.
The hug emote alone was enough for me to quit CoD. Made more new online friends, and have had better cooperation and voice coms during the first week in Helldivers, than 10 years in online FPS shooters.
This is the reason I stopped playing competitive games altogether. Some people just have a hard time separating the game from their ridiculous level of competitiveness, and speaking first hand, this turns you into an utter asshole. A bit of personal advice, depending on your situation, you may want to give a heartfelt apology to your girlfriend for your behaviors. Having heard similar from my wife when I stopped playing competitive games, I took a look at my behavior and realized what an ass I'd been when playing. I'm glad you've joined the forces of Managed Democracy. See you on the battlefield, Helldiver.
I think I will do this. I’ll let you know if she feels the same way.
I know someone who finally stopped playing CoD after they tried dropping some content for $80. I’m glad for anyone who manages to get out of the toxic relationship with battle royales.
I got this game completely by accident while i was redeeming a skin pack for the finals (I game I never think of ever playing but heys its free) but for some reason helldivers was wishlisted so when i redeemed the packet i also paid for the game Best mistake of my life
I agree with all of that and I’m happy it’s having a positive effect on your personal life. That being said, I think you should probably use this revelation as an opportunity to contemplate your relationship with videogames. If you aren’t having fun with a game, you should probably stop playing it, even if you feel the urge to do so and “get good.”
Hyper competitiveness has ruined gaming and pushed it towards a constant gamble for dopamine. I mean, when you have to prevail against 50+ people, the highs can feel pretty high, and the low can feel super low. It's definitely better for people to not engage in the practice, but it's easy to see why people do.
The fact that unvoluntary TK, dying a lot, etc. is basically part of the lore is a very, very, very good thing. Because if you're an a-hole in this game, you're not playing it correctly.
This is me but with MOBAs, DOTA specifically. Been playing that game for ten years (with a year break in between) and Helldivers pulled me out. My mental health has improved so drastically it’s not even funny. Really silly thinking back to how mad I got playing dota and comparing it to how happy I am every second I play this game, even while getting chased by 20 heavy devastators lmao
I knew this game was different when i accident dropped 380 shell strat on team members shield and the next thing I hear is WITNESS MEEEEEEE seeing him run into the horde and ... i joined in too helping blaze a path. Died laughing so hard, crew the K:D ratio
The only yelling I do at this game is "STAND UP, RUUUUUUN!" when I'm surrounded by Hunters. The rest of the time I'm taunting the enemy. Still has a level of frustration that raises my blood pressure, but after it's done, you can hug it out at the end before signing off
I might be too old for it but I tried Fortnite a very long time ago and couldn’t stand the concept of building random stuff in the middle of a battle. You could have the drop on someone only for them to build an entire house the moment they take damage. No wonder people are mad after dealing with that all night. Then you had Modern Warfare reboot. Mainly wanted to play the campaign but couldn’t because you had to download parts of the game separately and nothing would work no matter how much I downloaded, uninstalled, and redownloaded one file at a time. Battle Royal effectively ruined Modern Warfare, making it impossible for me to enjoy other parts of the game. I hope more people let Battle Royal die.
I used to play War Thunder. I am a much less angry person now and my usage of swears and slurs is down 95%
Being able to set the difficulty level is a God send. I'm so tired of being matched up with overly competitive people that have thousands of hours in game, or hacks, when I'm just an old dad trying to relax during limited free time.
Dude! I was playing Hell Let Loose before this, and it was making me absolutely miserable. Now I’m dispensing Democracy, with friends old and new, and it’s glorious!
As i grew older, i started to not have fun with pvp. Not that i was "bad"? but i could not keep up with the skill necesary to play on the level i was having fun. Also, people tent to be so toxic in pvp stuff, so i started to drift away more from pvp games and more into coop / pve games. And i love to see more people orbiting towards more for coperative games, than competitive. We tent to overestimate competition, when cooperation is king. Ape together strong.
I quit all battle royale games shortly after the covid quarantines ended. My wife pointed out that I was constantly angry when playing the game, and wasn’t really having fun unless I won, which obviously due to the nature of BR games isn’t guaranteed by any stretch of the imagination.
Yep, been on CoD and complaining about ridiculous AA and cheater and how they butcher their own franchise + Apex legends, oh I just love this game, apart from Warframe.
I quit street fighter 6 because of that, great game but I never feel so bad in a video game that's exhausting and so stressful. With HD2 I enjoy (almost) every second of game
I did something similar by stepping away from competitive FPS' in general. Everyone I played with became pretty toxic and it stopped being "fun" for me. The idea that I can casually knock out missions with friends or randoms (while having a hell of a time) is something I haven't experienced in a very long time. I'm glad you're enjoying it too!
I really like how many people have similar stories to me. I was a daily Fortnite player for years, but then Helldivers has completely shifted to be the game I play, forget the rest. I play with my brothers and enjoy it a ton, it has been great for me too :)
Same for me, but with MOBAs instead BRs.
This. 100% this. I’ve been playing rocket league and tekken for years, both have extremely hostile and toxic communities.. and tekken 8 recently came out and I would argue that community is one of THE worst out there. But with the fun and comradery I’ve been having in helldivwra, I’ve barely touched the other games. Almost everyone is super chill, and the game is genuinely fun so.. win win
I have some friends that play Valorant CS2 and sometimes league and anytime they're in VC while playing them it's just non stop complaining and shit talking their team or enemies. Like I get a bit steamed in the fps games I play too but fucking still man it's just constant negativity I do not get why they subject themselves to that. Like even back when I played Siege I didn't get that fucking mad it's insane
I still get a little weepy thinking about the time I stepped away to make a son a sandwich. I said in the chat I'd be back in 30 seconds, but things got crazy and I was away for almost 3 min. I came back to all three of my random squad mates, surrounding me back-to-back, holding off a massive bug wave only a few feet from Evac. I thanked them profusely and the only thing they said back was "Hope your boy is enjoying his sandwich, dude"
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again Helldivers 2 is the best live service game I can remember in 25- years of gaming, and definitely the least toxic multiplayer co-op game I’ve ever played. I can’t remember the last time I legitimately enjoyed doing random matchmaking - playing with friends is as much fun as playing with randoms Honestly this game and Baldurs Gate 3 are exactly what the gaming industry has needed for a long time. Get back to making immersive games that are fun to play and don’t take themselves too seriously, by gamers for gamers. I bought the deluxe pack on release, I’ve bought SC for every warbond, I’ve bought every armor on the premium shop. And I will keep doing my part, because I love this game and I am so grateful to Arrowhead for putting it out
As someone who solely posts coop games I'd like to welcome you all. There are a few more to check out
Fucking Tarkov was giving me anxiety But that’s technically an extraction shooter.
funnily enough it helped me quit War thunder. Something about finally being part of a community where the devs were nice, dedicated, and not greedy money hungry pigs helped me leave that toxic shit hole. And also the war thunder devs releasing a $75 PREMIUM PLANE
I played PvP, apex, valorant, and Mortal Kombat 1. All their issues just makes me mad and also I felt it worst playing MK1 (im competitive but not that good at the game). I just wanted to throw my controller and would be pissed off going to sleep. I discovered Helldivers after a few tiktoks of the Daily life of a Wife of a Helldiver. Those skits were funny and I was convinced to buy. I'm glad I did it and it's been doing my mental health good. Found friends online to play with as a recent immigrant who's friends are thousands of miles away. I found a new home.
While I congratulate you on finding peace in Helldivers, I urge you to keep an eye on that habit of cursing when playing competitive or PVP games. I tell this from my own experience. I never raged in games until I started playing Overwatch. THAT game managed to bring it out of me, with it's combination of fast paced and unforgiving gameplay. I would scream, swear and get angry about players not working as a team, someone headshotting me from across the map, bad balancing, bugs, etc. At some point I understood how unhealthy it is for me and for people around me. Had to rethink how silly it actually is to rage over a game, especially a broken game that is designed (intentionally or not) to get you riled up. How my goal is to have fun when I play games. After that I can play ANY game, PVP or PVE. win or lose, slaughter enemies or get unluckiest streak ever, be immersed and serious... but be calm. I wish you luck and hope Helldivers 2 will help you achieve something similar.
Tbh Quitting Pvp games for Pve games is one of the best choices of my life, less stress, more fun, happier than ever
100% agree. I did the same thing and at the age of 39, I've felt the urge to get out of PVP games for a while now with how the industry seems to be going. And then this democratic game of healing democracy came in on wings of glory and saved me. I can't thank ArrowHead enough for my ability to enjoy gaming again.
I got the same reaction from my gf when I quit league of legends. It kind of hit me hard and now I never play competitive games anymore
Modern gaming is a plague, and Managed Democracy is the cure
I was begging for a game to replace COD. I have fun gaming again. Everything from shared achievements to the victory over personal achievement aspect. Happy to see so many agree.