I’m Begging You To Stop Obsessing Over Player Numbers And Just Enjoy Games
The gaming community has developed an anxious obsession with player counts and longevity when evaluating new multiplayer games, particularly in the horror genre. Whenever a new licensed horror multiplayer title launches, commenters immediately question whether it can compete with Dead by Daylight’s dominance and speculate about shutdown timelines, with predictions ranging from one month to one year.
GameSpot’s recent Halloween game review prompted typical comments reflecting this pattern—“probably be dead in six months,” “will it go the way of Evil Dead, Friday the 13th, and Texas Chain Saw.” The author identifies this as an unhealthy “mass hallucination” that undermines the ability to enjoy games on their own merits. Rather than appreciating individual titles for their design and gameplay, the community has become preoccupied with comparative player statistics and live-service sustainability concerns.
This fixation stems from genuine industry failures—multiple licensed horror multiplayer games have indeed shut down—but has evolved into a self-perpetuating cycle where speculation itself may influence perception and engagement. The author advocates for stepping back from this metric-obsessed mentality to simply enjoy games as entertainment products, rather than treating them as statistical competitions where only the most player-populated title matters.