This week, the TTL mailbag yields fruit from a Gunslinger we know as ‘Quantifier’. As gamers, each of us assumes an alias. The alter ego of this digital sportsman was assigned to him by a friend, who observed: “Why do you always have to quantify everything?” From this analytical mind leaps an observation about the yardstick by which we are all measured: the ranking system for Halo 2 matchmaking through Xbox Live…
Quantifier writes:
“Rank – people covet their ranks to varying degrees. I’ve noticed a lot of people say they don’t care about rank, but aren’t always willing to go play ranked games. Some say this is because of the cheating, which is true to an extent. I think it’s more that they don’t want to drop in rank. (the fragility of the mostly male egos). I tend to feel this way myself. I’m protective to some degree and am all for a ranked game when I’ve got a good group – when I feel the odds of winning/advancing in rank are with me. I am more inclined to stay away from ranked games when I either don’t have confidence in myself and/or my group, or am not in a competitive mood.”
...Ah, yes. The fragility of the male ego! Anyone who has taken up arms against the sea of opponents on Xbox Live knows a thing or two about that. The battlefields of the online multiplayer component for Halo 2 are a virtual minefield of insecure personalities – each of them eager to vent some pent-up aggressions from behind the relative safety of The Chief’s mask.
Much has been said among Halo gamers about rank. One of the inspirations for the original launch of this here blog was a rant authored by a wise man who wanted to remind us all that “your Halo 2 rank will not get you laid!” I would link a footnoted source, but that was a long time ago. Please take my word for it. A keyword search at Halo.Bungie.Org on the term “rank” pulls 506 entries from the news archives. This issue is still very much on the minds of the Halo Nation’s citizenry.
Ideally, the rank system employed by Bungie is there to insure the quality of our experience. It is best ignored. If you are ranking up or ranking down, you are simply behaving like water and seeking out your own level. Sometimes, you gotta just go with the flow. All of this has been said and said – and said again.
Yet still, your average gamer is a slave to rank. Those numbers that Bungie attaches to our nameplate in the pre-game lobby are too hard to ignore. Entire websites are devoted to our never-ending pursuit for statistical analysis. Just like the baseball fan who knows which inning their favorite player is likeliest to hit a home run, the gamer wants to know which map is likeliest to be the venue for their next Killtacular.
It’s easy to trace the cause and effect for this phenomenon of Rank Obsession. Our society is ruled and governed by rank. The public school system gives us an early start on our fixation with measurement and self-worth, sending us marching home with report card in hand four times a year. To date, I still have an F+ in Sniping and Marksmanship from the School of Bungie – an Institution of Higher Learning.
Those of us who allowed ourselves to be subjected to the cruelty of team sports know more about rank than we will ever be able to forget. Varsity or JV? Starting Lineup or Bench Warmer? Team Captain or WaterBoy? First Round Draft Pick or Last Chosen For Red Rover?
As we enter Adulthood and join The Workforce, the notion of rank becomes a harsh reality. After ten solid years as a soldier in the army of Corporate America, this gamer has carried every rank from Receptionist to Team Lead. Professionals live and die by the promotions [and demotions] that are administered in the field. They become our very bread and butter.
Back to the gaming realm, there are examples of Rank Obsession that have nothing to do with the numbers next to your tag in Matchmaking. Any member of a Halo 2 clan is assigned a title rank. As an Overlord, I field a lot of questions from Gunslingers who want to know what they have to do to elevate above the role of Peon, or Member, or Staff. Very little changes when these promotions are made. Overlords bleed the same color and Peons. But the process employed to manage ranks by the Overlord High Council of the TTL Gunslingers is staggering in its complexity – and its secrecy.
In the management of the Gunslinger Volunteer Army, nothing motivates a gamer more to help run our community than a title promotion. We pass out fancy names like they are candy in MidWorld… Captain of the Roadkill Squadron, Strike Team Lead, Challenge Captain, Honor Guard General, Content Manager, Enforcer, even Minister of Propaganda.
I gave that last one to myself, so I suppose I am guilty of this affliction as well.
We are pre-destined to sweat the small stuff when it comes to rank. It’s in our blood. The brainwashing has taken hold. The Halo Nation is truly a microcosm for the real world. We can tell people not to worry about rank all we want, but that suggestion goes against our very nature. Rank Obsession is the cornerstone of human weakness. Despite our technology, we are still big, dumb animals who butt heads when we face-off in the clearing.
On that note, if anyone would like to play Halo with me, I will be available for combat maneuvers tonight at 8:00 PM CST. Please do not send me a Party Invite if you are not a 25 or above in Big Team Battle Skirmish. Thank you.
Great article. It’s so true, when you gain a rank, it’s a feeling of accomplishment, however if I could stay a low rank to stay away from the cheaters, poor sports, and the rest of the scum of LIVE then I would gladly trade my rank for that.
I’m a 31…
I gained 8 ranks in a day and I was so happy for the rest of the week. EXCEPT- I wouldn’t play ranked for the week either…
I wish I was a 31…
My highest rank ever has been 28. I didn’t play Team Slayer for weeks. Then I did and I lost it. And guess what? My girlfriend and I broke up. (I don’t think my Halo rank had anything to do with that, though…)
But, yet again, Deej speaks the truth. As much as I don’t care about my rank, I would still like it to be somewhat respectable. I don’t have to be a 12 in Slayer. But I also know that trying to get a 35 would ruin Halo for me.
In the end, I’m happy with my current ranks and I have a new girlfriend. I am slowly learning to care less and less about my ranks. Know how I know this? I don’t know any of them at the present moment.
Deej,
I knew you could take this and run with it, but i’m still damn impressed how well you ran with it. Also, remind me to make future suggestions annonymously ;-)
I always seen a lot of talk about the unranked playlists being ranked but the ranks are hidden by Bungie/XBL. Since most people seem to think/agree that there’s less cheating on unranked playlists, I wonder if Bungie has ever considered making all playlists “unranked” to reduce cheating. I further would be interested to know what there analysis (if any, though i’d be surprised if there weren’t any analysis on this) shows statistically about the frequency of cheating reports/confirmations relative to ranked vs. unranked playlists.
I’ll admit my obsession. I like to think that I’m winning the majority of my games, and the easy measure of that is my advancing ranks. Stats and ranks are what keep me hooked on this game. Pity me.
In the end, though, I’ve never let it stop me from playing ranked games with anyone. It’s not that important, especially since ranked games are all that is left in Matchmaking.
I was a 31 before you…
As of late…I just don’t care anymore about the little number by my GT. It’s a number that is not going to pay my bills or make me better looking.
If I were to walk up to a random person on the street and say, “I’m a 28 in Big Team Skirmish.” they are gonna blink and stare blankly at me.
It’s a number. That’s it. I would rather play and lose with a group I am having fun with as opposed to winning and being stressed about it all.
I remember when Team Snipers first became ranked. I was like a little kid at Christmas, just waiting to see what rank I had earned while they were hidden. After it became ranked I played only a handfull of games and got cheated in half of them. I didn’t play it again for a couple of months just so I could keep a good rank. When Team S.W.A.T. became ranked I was a little disappointed that I started at Level 1 again.
Both of those playlists were just more fun to play when they had “hidden” ranks. And, no, it wasn’t because of the abundance of guests to shoot at. It’s because you have a much better chance of finding opponents with bad attitudes in ranked games.
I will still play Team Snipers and I hope for a S.W.A.T. game everytime I jump into Team Training, but it just isn’t the same anymore.
When I first started playing this game I decided that I wasn’t going to stop until I had reached the top. It was an attitude I carried with me from Goldeneye challenges during lunch at school. When I progressed up a few ranks I realized what I had gotten myself into.
After reaching the mid/late 20’s in Team Slayer and realizing how many shennanigans people were pulling I started to care less and less. That said, I do still care. I care for the sole reason of getting into that one game that forces me to play beyond my own skill, thus improving. My drive now is solely pushing my personal skill as far as it can go, not getting my rank to the top. This is while you’ll see me in rumble training a majority of the time. Practice. Supposedly, it makes perfect and I could care less if a fellow in the party sees that I’m a 22 or 38.
DeeJ is right, though, about the brainwashing that occurs in our society. It starts on the playground – who can you beat in a race? Then, can you make the travel team? Can you make the varsity team? What did you get on your SAT’s? Rank consumes our communities, so I guess it should be no suprise that it consumes our videogames.
Everyone cares about rank. Period. Remember when I said that I’d rank every playlist up to thirty? I’m still working on the project (anybody wanna play some Hardcore?) but the fact is that I’d be much further towards my goal if I was more protective of what ranks I did have.
I don’t stop people from entering ranked games even when I know they can’t compete at my current rank, because first and foremost the game si there to play. I bite my tongue (though my first instinct is always Wait! Stop! My poor number!) and allow the game to continue.
But that first instinct is always there, to protect the number that proves that I have some skill at this game. It’s an ugly instinct, but it’s there.
I don’t concern myself with rank too much. I have enough to worry about that does matter. I agree that both snipers and swat were more fun when they were unranked and I hope Halo 3 is has its ranks completely hidden in every game type. Nice commentary.
Sooner or later Rank starts to lose it’s meaning. For the first two years Halo 2 was out, Microsoft gave out hundreds of thousands of free 2-month accounts. So you have alot of level 35’s that started back at level 1 (myself included). Sometimes to play games that were not so littered with cheaters. I actually started an account to see how fast I could go from level 1 to 30. After that week, rank ment alot less.
I don’t usually do this, but I disagree with Bear. I really don’t care about rank, it’s more about my experience in the game, playing with a group that is looking for fun. My rank in Halo 2 will not:
Bring me money
Get me laid
Raise my status in the world order
That said, I can lose, I can lose well (except to cheaters) and I can lose a rank….Doesn’t phase me.
Don’t get me wrong… my 31 is only due to some great clanmates that cover my ass in every game. Before TTL I couldn’t get to 30 because I only had one guy covering me.
I play this game because of my clanmates and to have fun. Because of such a great group of people that are not just fun but also talented at the game, my rank has gone up.
However if I’m with a group of guys that are around 24 or so in Team Slayer and they want to go play it with me, I usually request something else. Not to protect my rank, but to protect them from facing much better opponents. I do have a 2nd tag that is only in the Mid-20’s that I use if we don’t want to face the people in the 30’s.
The only rank that I prize above the rest is my Team Slayer Rank. Only because in order to get high in that playlist I had to fight through cheaters. Once I got my 34 I just gave up and stopped playing Team Slayer. I will go into it again, but only if I think I am with a prepared team. As far as the others, I couldn’t care less about the number. While it is nice to see yourself go up in rank, it is an endless cycle of ups and downs and I have stopped worrying about it.
Although most people complain about their rank going down or getting stuck I think it is proof that the bungie system works. I will admit that most of my legitimate games in my active playlists are more often than not fairly balanced, win or lose.
Try this sometime, if you are a 28 in slayer, go in with a 38 on your team for fun. Every time I do something like that I get slaughtered. It is the same with Hardcore, I am a 22…if I go in with a 30 there are so many BR bullets in my brain that I just want to hide and cry for it all to stop. I like playing at my level. Of course I want to get better, but I don’t enjoy getting pummeled.
Over the course of time I have found the ranking system not only works, but works well. Regardless of the rank you wish to attain, if you can’t hold it over the course of active play then you are probably out of your league. I care and I want it to be high and impressive with the circles I run in, but when I get out of that circle I find out how not impressive my rank really is.
Jungle
Here’s the question for you: If, say, for Halo 3 Bungie made Matchmaking, all of MM, unranked…would you still have the same motivation to play? I’ve been playing alot of Rainbow 6: Vegas, and i know that the only reason im still playing it is because i want to get promoted and unlock the next set of stuff. Would taking away visible ranks make people want to play Halo less?
Being a devoted Halo PC player (who knew they still existed?), I found that the total lack of rank within this game is more of a blessing than a curse. I join a server, play the current game, see how I performed compared to others, and either choose to stay or leave. That’s all there is to it. It feels better to know that you’re not being judged for your number, but for reputation by name—I’ve met plenty of good players online because they stuck with their alias, and I know their playing style through matches made with them. Clans like LtD and SoC (Soldiers of Christ), as well as some of their respective members, have gained my respect because of such a simple system.
On the other side, there will always be those who try to compromise it all just to make a statement of their “performance” (a.k.a. cheating), regardless of rank. Unavoidable, but I always try to remind myself that it’s just a game. Losing doesn’t mean that my life is over—just go somewhere else and have good, clean (LOL) fun.
I care about my rank, at least I used to. At one point I set a goal to get all my game types up to 20. I did this in all but two. Then some of the game type got removed so it didnt really matter.
I would love to see Bungie remove the visible rank. This would allow others to just play the game. The only people that would leave would be those doing nothing but raising their ranks. Since there are a large number of people that cheat to do this. They would leave and find some other place to annoy people.
See the rank is there to pair two people that have similar skill. So I dont understand why someone would cheat to get a high score. If they played a true 30 or 40 they would get owned.
The other saving grace with Halo 3 will be the fact you can chose to never play with a person. Allowing you to fine tune the pool of combatants you meet.
Dren
icu ii makes an interesting point about “incentive”. As a salesman in my professional life, I am always sensitive to this notion. Knowing someone’s incentive is the best way to motivate their behavior.
The message behind this article is that our incentive system is highly motivated by rank. A lot of people have backed this up. They like to rank up. That number is a measurement of self-worth; and we all like our numbers to rise.
For this gamer, my incentive to game is the role-play. I like to be the Master Chief. I like to interact with my teammates – which would explain the great lengths to which I go to assemble the right ones for myself. I like to see poor fools bounce off the front bumber of my Warthog [shut up, it’s mine].
My incentive is rooted in the moment of the game. I measure myself, and my peers, in terms of conduct more than skill or rank. I play Halo for love of the experience it affords me. As soon as the gaming is over and the box is cold, none of it matters. My own personal enjoyment is the only reward I seek.
But, that’s just me. A lot of gamers want their experience measured and tabulated. There is an acquaintance on my friends list who plays games for points on his Xbox Live score. He will approach me at work with boasts about finishing an entire level of Quake 4 using the same weapon. For me, that limits my experience. For him, that raises his gamerscore.
Mom always said, don’t play ball in the house.
I always say don’t play ball in the house. And nobody ever listens.
I believe in the visible ranking system because it motivates people to stay in the game. While Team Training is one of my favorite playlists because of the variety and how relaxed it is, how many times do you actually get to play the entire game to the conclusion? Unranked games are full of quitters, more so than the ranked games. For that reason alone I like the visible ranks, simply because I want to play a legit game to the end.
That being said, I could absolutely care less about the number next to my name. I play video games for fun and my main desire is to play an honest competitive game. If I am legit at level 10, than that is where I want to be in order to play people in my skill level. It isn’t fun playing people that are way better than you, and it isn’t fun playing people that are way worse than you (at least for me). It is fun to have a close, well fought game by both sides.
Ranks are necessary in my opinion. Caring about them is not.
angel touches on a related issue to rank – quitters, particularly in un-ranked games. I believe I have a possible solution to this, or at least one I’d love to see tried anyway (hopefully Bungie/XBL is listening).
A TEMPORARY BAN! If you quit a game, you are banned from XBL for say 10-15 minutes. If you quit for a legit reason (dinner is burning or the kids got into something or your gf/bf calls), you probably won’t be back for 10-15 minutes anyway. But, if you quit just because you’re losing, you won’t be playing at all for a short time. I think most sane people would choose to play thru rather than not play.
“Everyone cares about rank. Period.”
that’s not true at all. don’t forget that whole mlg thing…
A note about the “rank-averse” behavior that Quantifier points out in his message. He seems to be describing as an apparent contradiction that someone who “doesn’t care about rank” is “not always willing” to enter a ranked game, and speculates that fear of losing rank is the cause. I think that’s the analysis of someone who does care about rank and can’t imagine that there are those who don’t—or, at the very least, do not perceive rank the same way.
I don’t play online enough to even know what my attitude to rank is. But my perception is that people who play ranked games care, at least in some small part, about their rank. That doesn’t mean playing the game is their job, but it means that most of the time, they are at least trying.
If I’m someone who truly doesn’t care about rank, I shouldn’t be in ranked games, and I can’t imagine I’d be welcomed there. I can hardly imagine a more frustrating situation for a player in some kind of ranked match to see a person behaving strangely who justifies their behavior by saying “well, I don’t care about my rank”. That may be fine in Rumble Pit, but the majority of the playlists are team games. They might not care, but almost assuredly somebody else does.
“Everyone cares about rank” may be a true statement, but only because it is so vague. I “care about” rank enough that I don’t want to mess up the system for others, so I play mostly solo games ranked if I feel like it, and when I play team games, they are customs or unranked. I don’t feel it’s fair to foist my casual, laid-back approach to playing the game on those who might not appreciate it.
It’d be nice if it went both ways, too.
Well… howdy, Narc.
I don’t care about rank. It does not motivate me. This is not to say that I don’t give it my all when my back is to the wall. I have a different incentive. I play to win, but I don’t let a number effect my agenda. I play the gametypes that cater to my mood.
“If I’m someone who truly doesn’t care about rank, I shouldn’t be in ranked games, and I can’t imagine I’d be welcomed there. I can hardly imagine a more frustrating situation for a player in some kind of ranked match to see a person behaving strangely who justifies their behavior by saying “well, I don’t care about my rank”. That may be fine in Rumble Pit, but the majority of the playlists are team games. They might not care, but almost assuredly somebody else does.”
You can not care about your rank while being passionate about different aspects of the game.
I will say again, I could care less about the little number next to my name. Does that mean I goof off during ranked matches? Does that mean I go off and do my own thing while the game is being played out? Does that mean I sit there and betray my teammates until I get booted? Absolutely not. I am passionate about the game, I am passionate about my performance, and I am passionate about team work and perfectly executed strategy. Do I care about my rank? No. Will I always give 110% in a ranked match and contribute everything I have? Yes, because that is the standard I set for myself. Rank is not related to that.
I think that rank impacts each person differently. I don’t judge others by their rank, or myself by mine, but I do like to have a higher rank and like to see my rank go up. While I play to win regardless, and don’t care about rank for the most part, it still does give me a little extra motivation to strive to raise that little number next to my name.
ICU – I think you hit upon an interesting point: achievements. That’s what you are talking about – whether it’s a rank or an unlockable item, us gamers can not pass up such things. I would love to see H3 come with hidden ranks so ranking up is not such a big deal. It will definitely come with Achievements and that will keep the thing going. But I can honestly say that I care very little about rank. Sure, I care some: but that is not what motivates me going into the Master Chief Simulator. Going in with Gunslingers is what motivates me. I have a blast playing with this clan. I doubt very much I would still be playing H2 as much if it weren’t for them. Going alone into matchmaking just isn’t’ as much fun as playing with a group of people you like.
I’ve always disliked the ranking system. Mostly because my school buddies that played on XBL with me always dogged me when they had higher ranks. This would motivate me negatively and positively at the same time.
I became a begrudging player of Team Slayer. (I know it’s a rhyme. Shut it.) Eventually, I made some more friends on XBL. Good friends. Friends that didn’t care about rank. Now, me and my 4-6 XBL clan-buddies play Team Training until we pass out. We still get pissed when we get beaten, but we don’t stay pissed.
Don’t get me wrong. I play the occasional ranked Rumble Pit, but that’s because it’s a personal advancement on my part. If you get 4th place out of 8, who cares?
Rank is only important when judgement is present. If you are judging yourself, you’re always going to think you didn’t do well enough. The only question is whether you think “I played terribly last game” or “I can do better than I did last time.” If your rank goes down, you’re likely you’ll think the former. If you don’t know your rank at all and you’re just going by the standings, the latter is what you’ll probably think.
Perception is key.
Whatdaya mean rank won’t get me laid? What has it all been for then?! Jokes aside, I openly admit that nicely dressed little number does mean something to me. I’m with Deezle on the Team Slayer rank. It is the only rank I covet, and the reason is that I want it to reflect my dedication to my teams’ victory, rather than a testiment to my skill.
That aside, I more often than not (due to odd hours) go into MM alone and accept the perils of doing so. As xbox live stands, ranks can not be an accurate measurement of skill as lag, and other famous issues, will sway the end game results either in or out of favor. Game on
I also care about my rank, but for the reason that I want to be competitive in the ranked games I’m playing.
I’m very averse to going into TS not because I’m afraid to level down, but that I’m afraid to level up. The other side of having good teamates is that maybe they’re too good, and can carry you to a rank that isn’t representative of your skill.
I was way more concerned with my ranke before I joined up with TTL. Now the game is way more enjoyable, and I dont care nearly as much. I define my experience by whether or not I’m having fun, not necessarily whether or not I’m winning.
I hit 31 in slayer and lost it the same night… I’ve never felt the same about Team Slayer.
I like the rank system in concept, as it is nice to play against worthy opponents, instead of pawning noobs (as the saying goes) at low level. Sadly, it seems that higher rank games are filled with a larger quantity of cheaters.
I think that the new rank system (with a hidden rank for time using the same account) might solve some of the problem.
I think, overall, rank has had a negative effect of me. I take the game less seriously, as I know my skll can do only so much against the power of a cheater.
coming from a guy whose rank has never been above 13 in any category (and is currently an 8 or something), i certainly don’t care about that number. i haven’t donned the master sarge’s armor for months, even. hell, i just bought a copy of chrome hounds last week. clearly i’m a bit behind. still, in my heart i’d say i’m a solid 23.
but it does seem like a good way to match up opponents. i just wish the match engine were a bit more clever when pairing teams with three 20+ players and one scrub . . . me. despite my best efforts, i end up adversely skewing the match. but i try real hard.
all the same, i am pretty proud of my golf handicap and FICO score. my free-throw percentage needs work. my salary could use a boost based on my performance percentage. overall, i’m okay with the current thread count on our sheets, but i’m concerned that my pant size has been on a steady increase for the last 8 years.
like it or not, numbers rule our lives.
Good read. I care about my rank to a certain extent. All I want to do is play other gamers at or above my level. As long as I stay in the 30+ range I don’t care what it is. I don’t earn respect from my rank it comes from my gameplay.
Check bungie for my stats. My rank is a freaking roller coaster ride. Up and down. Many enjoyable hours of geameplay I would never give back though.
Without this rank would people care less about winning? Your damn right, go play some training games and see how serious they are.
I don’t play often enough to care about my rank. When I get on, I get on to play with my friends, have a meeting, meet with like-minded individuals, or to just goof off. I don’t go into matchmaking without clan mates, I don’t like to play custom games against clan mates – just because I don’t like trying to kill my friends, but I do love Halo.
Speaking of….
I need to go play.
Soon.
Nice writeup Xerxdeej. I agree with everything you have to say and I was actually surprised to find that others besides myself sometimes won’t go into ranked playlists because they are afraid to lose a rank. I do this in an adverse way though, my OCD causes me to want all my ranks in multiples of five. If I lose rank 15 and fall to a 14 it doesn’t matter to me if I get it back to 15 or I delevel it to 10. I am odd like that.
Visible rank is stressfull, but that’s not to say i don’t feel it’s important. In a perfect world, with no modders or cheaters, your rank would be an accurate representation of your skill. But as it stands now, pretty much anyone (not everyone, but most) who’s level is higher than 36 or so is there due in some part to cheating. Whether they bridge to get host or shamelessly use auto aim, they’ve achieved that rank illegitimatley. Countless times I have played custom games with forties or higher and easily won.(I’m a 28) That goes both ways though. I ‘ve also lost to those who have a much lower rank then me. I play to have fun, and that, losing is not. If my rank were an accurate representation of my skill, then yes, I would care alot about it.
BTW-Just because your rank doesn’t get you laid or pay your bills or whatever doesn’t mean you shouldn’t care about it. Everything, including paying your bills, can be put into perspective.
GamerTag-BreakingEnder