So, I was onboard the “what the hell do you mean, no per match XP?” Train.
But.
The most recent Flight Update/After Action does cover this, and I think it makes sense.
First off: it seems that as well as the big ticket challenges, there will be “play match” challenges.
One way to look at these is “per match XP with more steps”.
Now, that doesn’t account for player in game action XP, such as most kills etc. So, you know, there’s an argument there that it’s perhaps a bit basic. But, we don’t have all the info yet, at least, it doesn’t look like we do.
But.
I think this might actually be an interesting play.
We’ve got used to games having constant progression. It was cool at first. Build up and build up to unlock this or that. Reach max. Prestige if you can, or just sit at the top, with nothing left to earn.
But, personally, I’m not sure that sort of progression does it for me anymore. It requires the creation of rewards just for the sake of those levels.
Now, maybe that’s no different to Battlepass. Maybe it’s functionally identical.
But maybe. Just maybe, it’s actually quite a savvy, pro consumer health, pro game enjoyment move.
So. Why do we play games?
It isn’t to unlock things, not at its core. That’s a secondary neurochemical reward factor.
We play to have fun. To enjoy a fun gameplay loop.
When we add progression to that, it can become a task. A chore. A job. You have to level up. You have to do this thing, this week.
But Battlepass doesn’t seem to be that.
Instead. I read it as: come play our fun game. We have a limited reward set which is not about progression, it’s just saying “ok, you’ve been playing a while now, have some stuff”.
Sure, eventually it tops out. But so do other progression systems. Unless you restart.
Which gives you one of two options: restart and retread that pointless ground. Or power creep, inventory inflation with pointless rubbish.
Battlepass potentially dodges that: fewer rewards, means the potential for more quality rewards.
Now. I could be totally wrong. I could be way over thinking, trying too hard to make good from bad.
But honestly, the more I think about it, and the more I see people say things like “if I’m not earning XP, what’s the point of playing?”, The more I think that we’ve forgotten why we play in the first place, and maybe the Battlepass is a response to that?
I don’t know. I’m probably wrong. But I like the idea that it’s an attempt at something better, at returning us to playing games for fun, not meaningless incremental number increases…