Is The Game Fun Or Just An Addiction?

Viper198787

I’m really not sure where to start with this post or really if anyone cares, but I just wanted to throw my thoughts out here into the MCOC void. This is coming from someone who has been playing the game on and off since release, back when the class wheel was different even. Anyway here I go.

I’m a long time Marvel fan, grew up on X-Men comics with my uncle. I loved reading them and watching the cartoons. I loved sharing that interest with my uncle and we were close. Then i started getting into the Avengers type stories with a little bit of Spider-Man on the side. The Marvel world was amazing and so cool. So why does this matter? Because when I first came across this game, it was so cool and had so much potential. I got my hands on some characters I really loved. Wolverine, Thor, Hawkeye, and Cyclops to name a few. It felt fun and enjoyable. The abilities were nothing spectacular but being able to fight other Marvel characters with Thor and smash them with a hammer and lightning felt cool. Then they started releasing even more popular characters like Dr. Strange and BW. Things were popping. Then 12.0 hit.

This begins one of my biggest gripes with the game: balance. I realize that 12.0 had to happen to preserve balance for the overall game, but a lot of those characters that people loved (both in and out of game) got essentially dusted. OG Thor, Dr. Strange, and BW were among some people’s favorite characters and they got nerfed hard. 8.5 years later and they’re still in such a poor state compared to the rest of the game. Other characters get 2-4 buffs whereas OG Thor and Strange are left in the dust and disrespected. Meanwhile we are adding our 20th Spider-Man who has just an absurd list of abilities. How is that fair? I’m sure Pavitr has a fan base, but why are iconic characters like Thor and Strange left to rot while more obscure characters get the lime light? Where’s the balance and justice?

This also starts point #2 along the lines of balance, battlegrounds. Where do I even start here? As an end game player, there’s not much that keeps me in game anymore. AQ is the worst thing ever, AW is horrible and an item sink if you want to be semi competitive, and raids’ bosses are so tedious and annoying to fight. Battlegrounds used to be one mode that felt great. You could play it virtually any time and you could get by with most rosters. That’s not the case anymore. It’s solely a drafting competition, not a skill competition. The balance, design space, power creep, whatever you want to call it has made it such a terrible mode anymore, it’s gotten to the point of not fun. So many defenders require a specific counter now and if you don’t have one, you just suffer immensely. It’s not a Korg situation where your skill might help you get through it. It’s a situation where RNG screws you so you get pummeled with knives and bleed out. Or you can’t control power and block damage so you just get L3d constantly. Or you just take insane unavoidable damage via Nova Flame or Neuroshock.

At this point, is this game even fun anymore or is it an addiction? Unfortunately for me it is an addiction. I know I’ve invested so much in this game that I don’t really want to walk away. But I wish I could just have a fun Marvel game. I desperately want one that I can enjoy, not suffer through.

tl;dr I’ve invested so much into this game that I can’t walk away but the game’s “balance” is helping me break the addiction.

Comments

Jan_McFly_

You hit the nail on the head.

The game balance is just bad.

There are more than 300 characters, but it feels like more than half of them are basically useless.

Furthermore Kabam still does not buff / rework most of the most iconic Marvel characters like OG Deadpool, Dr. Strange, Wolverine, Captain America Classic, Groot, OG Thor, Daredevil, OG Spiderman, OG Thanos, Kang, Classic Ghost Rider, Punisher, Iron Fist, Carnage, Winter Soldier, Task Master, Abomination, Cable, Drax, Electra and Black Bolt.

This so sad. It seems like they're focusing on releasing tough and annoying defenders over and over for which counters are only introduced into the game two or three months later.

Besides that there many other issues I'm the game.

Bad AI, lots of bugs, the whole pay to win aspect, the bad communication and poor treatment of the MCOC community, all the sales and neverending greed of Kabam.

Overall this game is not as fun anymore.

Fit_Fun9329

hmm yes, it’s an addiction for me as well. The fun part is falling behind for me

World Eater

Good post. Agree with what’s been said. It’s both addicting and somewhat fun.

Raganator

So much of this game is built around characters and not content. Then they force engagement through modes like AQ and AW. How is AQ still a thing? It's there simply to ensure people are logging in every day. But it's just a horrible, repetitive, and unfun game mode. But AQ is a just a symptom of the overall engagement problem. You nailed it with BGs (it was fun, it's not fun for most player anymore). I always laugh when they call it a competitive solo mode. It's not a skill competition, it's a roster competition. I still enjoy a lot of solo content, but my engagement over the last year has dropped significantly - and after the banquet this year, I will likely be leaving my alliance to avoid this forced engagement (never doing AQ sounds wonderful - and that's not how a video game should be).

jascz

The new update broke my addiction.. I cant even play anymore without risking a seizure, and I have no medical conditions. Loading is awful, gameplay is maybe 5 fps.. I've been hooked on the game for many years and now I cant even play it due to kabam botching the update terribly. My girlfriend couldnt be happier lol.

Rudolph_Raindeer

Good post, OP. It is definitely an addiction for me. I tried quitting several times, but I keep coming back (spending even more money to catch up again), because I already invested thousand of dollars and almost 11 years of my life playing and building my account.

Actually starting playing mcoc is one of the biggest regrets of my life. Changed me as a person - unfortunately not for the better.

Viper198787

https://forums.playcontestofchampions.com/en/discussion/comment/2895237#Comment_2895237

yeah the main thing that resonates here is “video game”. It should be enjoyable, fun, and engaging. Unfortunately this game has been none of that lately. I have a bunch of units saved up but not really excited about Cyber Weekend or Banquet, even with news of 7* Yondu and Abs Man. I just wish they’d stop making everything so punishing and mentally draining. Challenge is fine, but this is overboard for a game.

Dr. Crab

Thats for sure a good question. I would say for me, its…routine.

It's just become something I do, a part of my day that feels familiar and grounding. I for sure have been pulling back over the last few months (albiet a bit accelerated after SW) but, probably until the game's inevitable end, it's always just something I will probably just do.

Defender_dawn2

For me it's just a crystal opening simulator and getting that cheap dopamine rush for 2 seconds when I get a good champ ,that's it

Viper198787

https://forums.playcontestofchampions.com/en/discussion/comment/2895242#Comment_2895242

I hear that, as I’m in the same boat. I’ve taken 3 separate breaks and it feels like I need to spend again to catch up. It’s a negative cycle.

TotemCorruption

The game is designed to get you addicted; that's the business model of most gacha games.

Endless progression, RNG, scarcity, and social pressure: these are all psychological hooks to keep you playing (and spending).

BUT it doesn't mean you can't enjoy the game without feeling addicted in a bad way.

(1) You have to not take it too seriously. Understanding the psychological hooks can lead to self-awareness and perspective.

(2) You need to take breaks if you're feeling addicted. And then evaluate if you truly miss the enjoyment of the game or if it's an addiction that keeps you engaged.

(3) If you're truly miserable (like most of the forum regulars are), and feel nothing but resentment and bitterness towards Kabam, then it is time to quit. Easier said than done but lots of people do it, people who have way higher investment or social standing in the game than the nobodys on the forum. It just takes mental strength and also alternative ways to spend your time.

(4) If you can't fill the MCOC hole in your life with anything else and that's why you find it hard to quit despite being bitter and miserable, then this isn't just an addiction. It's a symptom of a deeper vacuum in your life. And it's not MCOC's fault that some people have such deep vacuums in their life that they fill it with a game they hate.

Cmac1975

it’s an addiction for sure… the fun part comes in Ebbs and flows…. It’ll be fun for a few weeks and then it’s borderline unplayable. I know it’s just my one personal burnout, but it’s the truth… it just becomes so vanilla for a bit, but then I’ll get the bug again and it will be fun again.

Java_Junkie

y’all gotta separate sunken cost phalacy from addiction…

if you cannot stop, and cannot put it down and not start, and if it is negatively impacting the rest of your life despite this, it’s an addiction. like, spending bill money. blowing off work/ school/ social occasions to finish a grind. separation anxiety, an uneasiness or dread when you’re not regularly engaging in the habit (purely psychological side of addiction, like mental withdrawal).

that said, as an addict (recovering, surprisingly well), this game can in fact be addictive. you do not need any chemical compound to chain yourself to a sinking ship; ask gamblers, serial adulterers, and the like. and the “I’ve already invested so much, so…” argument (lie) to yourself is part of that slippery slope.

disconnect. disengage. go hug someone, grab dinner and catch up with them. go to church, or if that’s not your thing, go do some volunteer stuff; do something for someone else. unplug from EVERYTHING for a while each day; prayer/ meditation/ enough absolute quiet to still the mind is in short supply, and does wonders. then, come back in a few days and see if it can be just fun again.

just be well, and don’t let something that should be “just fun” make you sick.

JESUSCHRIST

This game is designed to make you lose and make you suffer

Battlegrounds is designed to make you lose to someone with more rank 4 than you, it's never about skill

Boss fights are not meant to be solo, you will die again and again so you need to use revives

Elder EQ requires 1 champion per fight and persistent health so you need to use potions and revives for 16 fights

The last time I heard someone say they enjoyed the game was during the pandemic when they were stuck at home

OldManHop

Sunk cost is keeping a lot of us at the table like a bad gambler. It is what it is.

Roggam

I’m having fun in gold AW and chill AQ oh and GC is the end season goal not week 1. FTP for over 5 years and enjoying my long term investment still. More Steve = more fun

Sundance_2099

I had fun and enjoyed the game for a lot of years. Then I got fed up with it at one stage, but kept playing and started getting more new champions - a big motivator for me in playing - and started enjoying it again.

The last two months have seen my enjoyment drop way off and it's solely down to the stupid-as$ decision to introduce the BS adaptive difficulty. I never wanted to be the greatest, l33test player. I wanted to have fun and be able to take my time building my roster to move through story mode and ROL LOL and so on. That desire to have fun and take my time meant I was happy playing lower difficulty EQ. Now that's gone, I've been doing the daily quests and AQ and some random arena fights to get the plat track objectives done if I don't otherwise do them for the past fortnight since I got fed up with losing in the EQ and chewing through revives and pots. I'm losing the will to keep playing, to be honest. I'm hanging in there for the EQs to get back to something I can more easily do in the hopes that the fun comes back with that.