Well-known Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada has suggested that younger gamers prefer team-based games over traditional one-on-one fighting games. According to Harada, this shift is due to younger players’ preference to share responsibility during losses. This suggestion was made during a discussion on the Game Maker’s Notebook podcast.
As first found by VGC, Harada thinks that people in their 50s, like himself, grew up in a more competitive environment. He believes this fostered a preference for clear outcomes with winners and losers. In contrast, younger gamers tend not to enjoy one-on-one matchups as much. They feel a lot of pressure being solely responsible for a defeat.
“… most young people nowadays are the opposite. They’re rarely eager to engage in one-on-one showdowns. Plus, because figthing games pit you by yourself against a single opponent, you have to accept all the responsibility if you lose. You can’t blame anyone else. In team-based shooters, when players win, they can say that they won because of their own contributions, but when they lose, it’s because they got matched with a lousy team.”
Katsuhiro Harada
The trend is also supported by the setup of team-based shooters. In these games, players can highlight their individual contributions to a win. Yet, when a team loses, players can blame the loss on the team’s poor performance rather than individual failings.
Some games even give out separate awards so players can feel accomplished no matter what. To attract younger audiences, Harada is exploring ways to modernize fighting games. He recognizes the continued popularity of one-on-one combat games but proposes adding new competitive modes.
Team battles, like 3-on-3 matches and other regional or position-based competitions, could provide players with fresh ways to participate without the stress of one-on-one duels.
While I see what he means, I’m not sure that’s true. I’m about to be 30, so my playing time began with the first PlayStation console. Back then, games were nowhere near as forgiving as they are today. You played games because you liked video games; it was not inviting or easy for someone to jump into. One of the things you would rarely get was any praise for beating a game.
Many games back then had jokes, sad endings, a song, or something like that. There was rarely a feeling of finality unless the game was cinematic, like Metal Gear Solid. I don’t have a preference for team shooters over fighting games because I have never competed before. Maybe some younger gamers subconsciously do, but I think it’s because there’s more variety and ways things can play out in team-based shooters. They’re also far more welcoming than fighting games.
If you’re barely getting into fighting games and go online, you’ll be quickly beaten. Team shooters don’t require you to press the same buttons to make combinations; you can play with more friends, and it’s more welcoming. If anything, it makes sense that fighting games aren’t as popular—at least in my opinion.
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