How in-game events such as Splatfest can help video games last longer

I always enjoy the Splatfests in the Splatoon games so for today's entry, I thought I’d talk about them in time before tonight's Splatfest starts for Splatoon 2 and how in-game events like these can help video games expand their lifespan.

First, for those who don't know what Splatoon is, it's Nintendo's own take on the shooting genre. Only instead of bullets, you use ink and the objective is to ink the most territory before time runs out. If this sounds like paintball, then you're right. But you can also swim in the ink to travel faster and sneak up on foes. The first game was released on the Wii U in mid-2015.

I admit that I didn't catch on with the game at first until trying out the demo. It became one of the most refreshing games I'd played for a long time for its simple yet quirky gameplay. I really enjoyed using a particular kind of weapon called the Roller. Instead of firing ink, you use it to roll ink along the floor. Any enemy that gets caught in that will be splattered immediately. The feeling I get from that is very satisfying. You can also swing the roller to fling ink around which also causes huge damage. I stuck with using the roller throughout the demo and continued to use it in the full version (specifically the Krak-On Splat Roller as it came with a special weapon that transforms the user into a giant squid called the Kraken. Anything that touches it, dies).

The weapons of mass destruction

I enjoy playing Splatoon a lot but one thing that keeps bringing me back are the Splatfest events held monthly on a weekend. Everyone gets to pick a team based on two different (and often random) topics such as Team Cats or Team Dog and fights against each other. When the event ends, the winning team is based on team popularity and matches won. Everyone who participates gets awarded Super Sea Snails which can be used to change their abilities for their gear (though the winning team receives more than the losing team). Most Splatfests are separated by region but a few are worldwide. There have been many Splatfests in the original Splatoon (In case you're wondering, the teams I've joined are Pop, Eating, South Pole, Singing, Tidy, Ghosts, Pro-Pineapple, Rich, Ninja, Pokémon Blue, Hoverboard, Patrick, Fancy Dress, Space and Marie. The only one I've missed was Cats Vs Dogs as I was on holiday at the time. Would have totally picked Cats though). They've worked so well that Splatfests returned for the sequel released on the Switch last year.

When playing Splatfests, I made sure that I set aside a couple hours and play until I hit the max rank. For Splatoon 2, I aim to start as soon as the event starts at 3pm and because ranking up is quicker compared to the first game, I can usually do it in one sitting within 3 hours (longer if the team are playing poorly), but I do take a break if dinner is ready. It has become a routine that I've settled in. Many Autistic people like to have their own routine and get mad if someone or something interrupts it. I used to be stricter on my routines (for example, on a non school day, I always made sure to play a video game after breakfast). As I grew older, I've become more relaxed about breaking them (going back to the earlier example, I don't mind missing out playing a video game if I sleep in or have plans to go out in the morning). Sometimes, it's worth bending your routines every once in a while as this can lead to an interesting varied life especially when a more exciting opportunity comes up (such as hanging out with friends). Still, I suppose some habits are hard to break. 

While I didn't need to play every Splatfest, I've played them because I enjoy playing the game and the event. Having regular in-game events can help increase the game's lifespan. No matter how good a game is, a player is eventually going to stop playing the game regularly after a couple weeks or so but if a new event occurs, it can give them an excuse to boot it back up again. This kind of trend has slowly become popular in video games which have been beneficial for all.  For example, if it wasn't for the reoccurring events in Fire Emblem Heroes and Animal Crossing Pocket Camp, I would have put those games down long ago (even if the latter game's events are becoming repetitive). While it's easy to incorporate in-game events in multiplayer games, it could work for single player games as well. Perhaps for example in Super Mario Odyssey, there could be a special world that pops up once a month with unique challenges that players worldwide would have to co-operate together to gather as many Power Moons in that world as possible. If they hit a global target, then everyone would get a unique prize such as a new costume.

While I am aware that to keep adding new in-game events can add more development time and money, it could encourage new players to buy the game and join in the fun. Developers could also keep the cost down by repeating the events on a monthly basis but change the settings (and rules based on feedback from players) to keep them fresh. These days, developers are turning to microtransactions in order to try to increase the game's lifespan which can lead to a negative reception amongst fans (Star Wars Battlefront 2 being a notable example). But I believe in-game events can have a positive impact with players as they're brought together to play towards a common goal. It could even be possible to make new friends from them. For example, during the Zombie Vs Ghost Splatfest, I was paired with three other players whose cooperation I enjoyed so much that I sent out friend requests to them which is something that I rarely do.

Hopefully, more games will jump onto this trend and hopefully tonight's Splatfest event for Splatoon 2 goes well for me. I am still using the Krak-On Splat Roller (sadly, they've replaced the Kraken weapon for the Baller which isn't as powerful) and I still enjoy the Splatfests. Tonight's theme is Adventure Vs Relax and I joined the latter team. To date, I've been on Team Ice Cream, Ketchup, Flight, Front Roll, Cold Breakfast, Film, Action, Gherk-In, Chicken, Sweet, Leo, Donnie (twice), No-Pulp and Squid. Wish me luck.