MOP’s Sam recently stumbled across an MSM article that quotes multiple streamers and esports players essentially complaining about matchmaking systems in competitive games. The streamers, of course, want to win for their viewers, while the esports pros were upset because the matchmaking algorithm was so good it was pairing them against genuinely good opponents and hurting their win-loss ratio.
It’s tempting to have a good chuckle at these players, I know, as it sounds like they’re just mad about actually facing a challenge. But as the article points out, the perception of losing (even if you’re not) can hurt the game too and lead to churn. For example, my kid was playing Bloons Battles the other day and was complaining about sucking at the game, but then we looked and he was winning half his games, which is exactly where he should be. But he felt like he was losing much more, and it was leading to frustration.
Of course, the best matchmaking systems take all that into account and hand you a win if you’re on a losing streak – “engagement-optimized matchmaking strategy” – just to make sure you don’t quit. And that starts to feel pretty creepy.
Should multiplayer and MMO PvP matchmaking focus on challenge or engagement? How should this balance work in practice?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
