Not only that, but matchmaking being an “required” part of every remotely-competitive online game has destroyed any sense of community that can be built within the game.
Before matchmaking took over everything you’d have dedicated servers run by groups of users who actively fostered a community. They would manage admin/mod duties on their server and so you could find a server with a like-minded user base.
It actually has interesting parallels to the enshittification of sites like Reddit. Before there was more of a focus on small groups and communities that self-regulated (dedicated servers / subreddits) and over time it has shifted to an algo-driven feed of content (feed of default subs / matchmaking).
Not only that, but matchmaking being an “required” part of every remotely-competitive online game has destroyed any sense of community that can be built within the game.
Before matchmaking took over everything you’d have dedicated servers run by groups of users who actively fostered a community. They would manage admin/mod duties on their server and so you could find a server with a like-minded user base.
It actually has interesting parallels to the enshittification of sites like Reddit. Before there was more of a focus on small groups and communities that self-regulated (dedicated servers / subreddits) and over time it has shifted to an algo-driven feed of content (feed of default subs / matchmaking).