By far, the game I play most is Rocket League. It always starts off as a plan to play a few games and move on to others, but that ends in hours of Rocket League playtime. I realized I don’t write about it much, because It’s hard to explain all the things happening in the stream of games I played. The addictive nature is something I can write about.
Playing “Just One More Game” in Rocket League for Hours
Like I mentioned in the intro, I always go in with the plan to only play a few games. Usually that plan includes playing one of each of the non-standard game modes: Hoops, Snow Day, Dropshot and Rumble. Sometimes I think that I’ll quit if I have two bad games in a row, but that pretty much never happens. Standard game modes are filled with tryhards that take the fun out of the game, so I avoid those altogether.
When I start a good run of games with not just wins, but several Rocket League MVP awards, it’s hard to stop. No surprise there, but I don’t want to stop on a losing streak either. Losing is not fun, but the desire to end on a high note with a win is hard to avoid. That win is inevitable (even if it take a dozen games), but a win can tempt me to play just one more.
The non-standard games force ranked play now (wasn’t always that way). I avoided ranked play before they made that change, but now I love it. The ranked algorithm ensures that the games are easier after losing a bunch and harder when you win a lot. Keeps things challenging without too much frustration.
Ranked play contributes to the desire to continue playing by constantly switching between the winning and losing streak cycles. With all those angles that keep me playing, I’ve racked up over 1400 game hours in Rocket League. It’s crazy when each game might take only 10 to 15 minutes..
Good Enough for Champion, but Not Consistently
The Rocket League standard game modes are great for highly skilled players that consistently avoid mistakes, but non-standard modes are for people like me. That is, people who mostly want a fun time and don’t spend a ton of time in all the training scenarios.
Rumble is still my favorite with how it can humble even Grand Champs with the unpredictability around the RNG (Random Number Generator for the power ups). Snow day is now a close second, followed by Dropshot then Hoops. Even with the ridiculous amount of playtime I’ve logged, consistency is still an issue.
The highest level I’ve reached was Champ 2, Division 4 in Rumble, but that was very short lived with my lack of consistency. I’m still at Champion level in Rumble, but I’m always a few bad games away from dropping to Diamond. Other inconsistent players know what that’s like: rolling past the ball instead of into it, flying over or under the ball rather than into it, etc..
It is sometimes comical when I pull off fantastic Rocket League shots in one game, then constantly whiff my shots the next. The ranking system comes into play by serving me different teammates, but I think adrenaline also plays a part. If the previous game was close and heart pumping, then it can mess with the next game’s shots.
The inconsistencies, ranking system and craziness of non-standard modes guarantee I’ll rack up Rocket League hours for years to come. I’ll continue to chase that adrenaline rush of the next best game. If you’ve never played, or gave up on it, I recommend trying now with the rush of new players, plus it’s free. Just be warned it’s addicting.