Posted by Benis on 4/25/2017 7:03:00 AM (view original):
The participation trophy comment is aimed at D1 I think. So your example doesn't really count.
The whole idea is that you start at the bottom and work your way up over time. This includes starting at low D1 and then moving up to mid major and then finally getting to B6. From there you build up a program that has been mediocre and turn it into a contender.
It's much different now. Take my NMSU team for example. Took me 5 seasons to reach the S16 after starting with D- prestige. This would have been A LOT harder to achieve in 2.0 than 3.0. I didn't need to put in my dues and work my way up. You can just join D1 at any level and be successful. For those that spent real life years working their way up 2.0, this would understandably rub them the wrong way.
Requiring users to wait real life years before they are able to play the game they signed up for is not a good game model. Bright and resourceful users should be able to compete. There should not be an obligatory "dues paying" period, especially not after users have already spent the requisite amount of time in lower divisions before being eligible. I was on the verge of giving up all teams on both handles before 3.0 was announced. I had paid dues aplenty. And then you get to Big 6, and it was still a game of outlast, even with a decent baseline team like Virginia. I had to wait for Stewdog to leave Va Tech before I could get any recruiting elbow room in the old system. It's not realistic, and it's bad game design. I don't resent *at all* the fact that players no longer have to put up with that in order to play competitively.
Odd analogy, but germane, I think. Think about merging lanes due to upcoming construction on a freeway. In most states, it is perfectly legal to use all open lanes up until the merge, and then take turns at the merge. This is called the zipper merge. In Minnesota, it's actually law. This enrages some drivers who are generally just ignorant of the law, and why it exists. It reduces gridlock, because all valid real estate is being used, instead of a half-mile of perfectly usable lane just sitting open. It's also safer, because people aren't squeezing in to tighter spaces at faster speeds. But road ragers don't typically care much about that, even though it's undeniably a better system for everyone by every measure. They just see someone "cheating", who isn't taking their turn, or "paying their dues".
Resentment is a poor basis for public policy, and game design.
4/25/2017 8:14 AM (edited)