Do Cheap Tactics Ruin Online Multiplayer?

In the final daily Speak-Up on Kotaku of 2010, commenter RascalkingTK wonders if cheap bastards tarnish other people’s online multiplayer experience as much as they do his.

One of my favorite things about this generation of consoles is the multiplayer experiences. I own both an Xbox 360 and a PlayStation 3 and play them on a regular basis. I’m not one to brag, but I tend to do well in most games I play, ranking in the top 5 more often than not.

But I don’t necessarily have to do well to have fun. Actually, I have a fun time as long as I have friends to laugh about it with. Then, there are the joy killers.

You’ve all met them. They employ tactics that cheapen the gaming experience for everyone that they are around. That world you were so immersed in just a moment ago? No longer, as you are now frustrated and slapping your leg at your now poor performance.

I never try to speak ill of my fellow players, but when someone uses a cheap tactic to come out on top I feel like I’ve been robbed of my fun time. Being repeatedly hit by grenade launchers in any Call of Duty can really make you feel like all the skill in the room just left the lobby. Same thing in Red Dead Redemption when – whoops – who needs another weapon when the high powered pistol can be spammed? And let’s not forget the cheap hunting skills of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood when using a hidden gun, getting only 100 points for a kill instead of, say, 400 if you went up close for a stealthy kill.

Granted, this is a small minority of players but it still tends to make me want to leave the game session or go read a book or something else when it happens too often in a row. Anyone else have similar frustrations?

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