MeinMMO author Philipp Hansen has hardly played in the gamer year 2020 and struggled to find a virtual home.
This damned year 2020, which reduced social contacts to a minimum, rationalized away shared evenings with friends or cinematic adventures on the big screen, and largely eliminated visits to family, should have been the opportunity for a lot of gaming.
Why was 2020 the gamer year? What else is there to do but sit in front of the screen and escape straight into the virtual world? The worlds we save digitally may not be intact either, but we and our avatars can at least make them a little better. I think: It’s no coincidence that feel-good games like Animal Crossing took off in 2020 (via GamePro).
Well, and reluctantly, many people simply had significantly more time at home in front of consoles or PCs in 2020. Due to the Corona crisis, however, 2020 was also the year of player shifts.
So whether for distraction or lack of alternatives, gaming probably experienced one of the biggest booms in history. This is also reflected in the records of the year. Countless titles broke their all-time highs, and even old games were suddenly as well attended as they hadn’t been in years.
- New user record on Steam – That’s why the platform is currently more popular than ever
- Among Us breaks player record – “Destroys more friendships than UNO”
- Coronavirus causes records on Steam – These are the current top 20
I committed a year to the war
Personally, I have played so little that it’s like … never before. Of all the games released, I only intensely played one new game in 2021 and really stuck with it or “finished” it. Since March 2020, I have regularly visited Call of Duty: Warzone.
This year’s “Battle Royale” aspect gave the dusty Call of Duty a whole new shine. The Warzone is for me the most rounded BR experience so far. I’ve also accumulated some kills in Blackout or Apex Legends. But what Infinity Ward and Raven Software unleashed on the players – hats off.
Why has Warzone captivated me so much? I can hardly count the evenings I spent with friends in Verdansk. Due to the gaming boom, I was never alone there. In the gaming parties, victory was usually not the top priority.
It was about somehow staying in touch with friends. The voice in my ear and a grim soldier avatar on the screen are not a perfect substitute for contact with friends in real life, but far better than nothing.
I have to admit that Warzone doesn’t really “interest” me that much. I play the battle royale quite casually: I don’t care about the meta and don’t know exactly what any weapon attachment changes. This deep understanding is otherwise typical for my Destiny behavior, where I soak up every little detail like a sponge.
These are the reasons for Warzone’s success: Never before has such a large map felt so polished and beginner-friendly. Thoughtful elements brought fresh air into the familiar genre.
- The Gulag gives you a second chance: Even if you had a bad start, you can turn the tide again.
- With your own levelable loadouts, you could aim for something in the otherwise closed BR matches. Because whoever owns a finely-tuned weapon has much better chances. This brings long-term motivation.
- Team play works great in Warzone, even though it is based on elements from other games: The ping system from Apex is sensibly integrated, contracts or the option to be bought back into the match ensure you stay in the game even after the second death.
- Moreover, CoD did not rest on its success. It was always noticeably tuned, with smaller events or fresh ideas brightening up the soldier’s everyday life in Verdansk.
However, it must be said that Warzone is not perfect and even today still has big issues.
Were there no alternatives for me in 2020?
So I didn’t play anything else? Of course! I spent almost half of November and early December in Destiny 2. The Warzone took a break during that time. Friends could bombard me with party invitations from Verdansk as often as they wanted.
Europe, the new exotics, the fresh Stasis element and especially the probably most beautiful raid kept me occupied for a good month. But I wouldn’t call Destiny 2: Beyond Light a “new” game.
This is how I usually play: I regularly save the universe from Destiny. For professional reasons, as I am the expert on Bungie’s MMO shooter at MeinMMO. But also privately, I’ve been putting on the armor of a Guardian since 2014 and let loose in the Crucible or raid with my fireteam.
However, since Destiny 2 allows for plenty of free time, I also venture into other waters. Okay, that’s a nice way of saying that Destiny 2 spreads the thin, seasonal content like too little butter on a large slice of bread.
Whenever all the exotics are hunted and all quests are completed, I feel drawn to other games.
- As a Guardian alternative, I donned a Warframe or joined the Division. I also have a glorious career as a dinosaur terror in Monster Hunter behind me or sought crazy weapons in Borderlands.
- But I have also always had a lot of fun in single-player games: Whether Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, or the Souls titles, I’ve gotten around a lot.
Am I too old or just in a “gaming midlife crisis”?
2020 was somehow different: Titles like Final Fantasy 7: Remake or The Last of Us Part 2 and Ghost of Tsushima actually fit perfectly into my target schema. Also expansions like Monster Hunter World: Iceborn or the expansion of Remnant were actually must-play titles.
Somehow I was just tired of it. Often, I lacked all motivation to turn on the console. So my free time in front of the screen tended to go towards streaming services. Only when friends called me in Warzone or my Guardian had a clear goal in sight did I turn on the PS4.
I have probably fallen victim to the “gaming midlife crisis”. And it was about time, I’ve been gaming intensively for 25 years – since I got a bulky Gameboy for my school enrollment.
I briefly tried to return to my childhood with Pokémon Go and tried to feel 20 years younger in TemTem – all in vain.
Don’t mourn for me: Recently I felt the gaming flame reignite. So I’m not too old either; I can still feel like a little schoolboy enjoying gaming.
When the era of the PS5 finally approached, my fingers longed to game again. I wanted to catch up on the Monster Hunter addon, experience Destiny 2 at buttery smooth 60-120 FPS and do so much more.
But the flame of passion was extinguished: Unfortunately, my PS5 is now only coming in 2021…
But until the PS5 finally arrives, I can and must be patient. In any case, the desire for the PlayStation 5 has shown me that my gamer heart is still beating. I’m definitely not ready to hang up my gaming career just yet.
And you definitely don’t have to read another reflection piece like this article in 2021. In conclusion, a big thank you to everyone who stayed engaged and a good start into the new year 2021!
