Video games have always had a strong multiplayer component. While everyone loves a great singleplayer campaign, the most memorable games are those that you can play with your friends. It doesn’t matter whether they are co-operatives titles or competitive experiences, playing with your closest buddies is the most fun.
Yet, despite all the great times that games can create, some undoubtedly leave you frustrated with your friends. It can even seem like some developers have designed their games specifically to cause arguments between those playing.
Plenty of video games cause disagreements among players. But the very worst offenders can put friendships at risk of breaking up completely.
Here are seven video games that seem designed to ruin friendships. Play them at your own risk. You might walk away the winner but with one less friend.
Mario Kart
Racing games, in general, give players plenty of opportunities to mess with other competitors. However, few of them give users the chance to completely wreck a race quite like Mario Kart. That’s because the series gives you the chance to throw and drop all kinds of items during gameplay. A well-placed banana skin or fireball can do a lot of damage.
Of course, the most dangerous item is the blue shell. Once fired, it tracks down and attacks the person in first place. If timed correctly, it is possible to send somebody from first to last right as they were about to cross the finish line. All kinds of curse words will be shouted out from the rage that such a move induces.
GoldenEye 007
Rare’s GoldenEye 007 was one of the first true first-person shooter games. When it released in 1997, it became an instant hit and was a hugely popular multiplayer title. This was largely due to the split-screen four-player deathmatch modes. There was only one problem. Somebody would always choose to play as Oddjob.
Anyone picking Oddjob would have a huge advantage as the character was so much shorter than the others. As a result, it was far harder to shoot Oddjob, requiring players to manually aim. Even the developers themselves acknowledged that using this character was akin to cheating. A friend who chose Oddjob would immediately attract criticism from everyone else in the match.
Rock Band
Despite the fact that rhythm games are not as popular as they once were, they can still ruin friendships. The likes of Rock Band and Guitar Hero are made for multiplayer sessions. Jamming out with your friends to your favorite songs is hard to beat.
Yet, what is no fun is when one person is letting the side down. Having to continually restart a track as one player just cannot hit the notes is infuriating. Even more so when you are playing on a lower difficulty setting to give the troublesome friend a better chance.
Mortal Kombat
Out of all genres, fighting games probably have the longest history in terms of causing arguments. It is not uncommon to see pals argue when one of them spams a particular move or uses powerful combos.
The fast-paced nature of fighting games like Mortal Kombat also means it is possible for a round to end in just a few seconds, thoroughly embarrassing the loser. Even worse, though, is when the opponent uses a gruesome execution move to finish you off. The humiliation has almost certainly led to the end of many friendships.
Mario Party
The Mario Party series has been a staple of Nintendo consoles for more than two decades. First introduced in 1998, it has become a firm favorite for local multiplayer sessions with friends and family. During that time it has certainly caused thousands of fights as well. That’s because of the sheer number of possibilities there is to be a jerk in these games.
You might dominate the mini-games to stop others from getting coins. Players might target a specific opponent constantly to ensure they steal their items. Never mind the last-minute miracle or Bowser space that swaps someone’s stars with you. The choices are endless and each Mario Party game is guaranteed to end in a fight.
FIFA
As much as modern FIFA titles have introduced new modes in recent times, local multiplayer is still the best. Playing against friends on a couch in the same room is still the ultimate way to experience the game. In short, the reason for this is that it makes gloating all the more effective when you can see the effect it is having on your opponent.
Effectively, FIFA causes endless arguments between friends. There are just so many ways for a bad winner to rub in their victory over the loser. They can time waste, refuse to skip replays, or just incessantly pass the ball between their defenders. Either way, a rage quit is never far away with this game.
Uno
Although Uno is originally a classic board game, it has also been ported to almost every available platform. Just like in real life, the digital form of the game can make you hate the others you are playing with. There are so many ways to screw over your competitors in Uno that practically every match will end in tears.
That moment when a draw four card is played just before your turn can be utterly brutal. It only takes a brief moment for one of your friends to ruin a hand. What looks like a certain victory can turn into a sour defeat in an instant. One thing for sure, though, is that friendships are put through a real test with each game of Uno.
What games have caused the most friction between you and your friends? Sound off in the comments below!
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