The Problem With Fallout 76 Workshops

Fallout 76 had a rough launch that managed to get worse. From merchandise surrounding the game, to dupes within the game, Bethesda Game Studios couldn’t catch a break when it came to the development of its first major online game. As time goes on, other games have taken the spotlight, like the similarly troubled Anthem, and Fallout 76 has more room to breathe.

There’s hope for the online game and its future, according to many community members and players. Bethesda’s continued development on Fallout 76 has been more akin to a rider desperately trying to stay on the back of a bucking bull than a graceful marathon through a predetermined roadmap. Regardless, that roadmap has been laid out, and more quest and group content is set to arrive through spring and summer.

Fallout 76’s player base has remained committed throughout, and even though the game isn’t out of the fire yet, they’re still logging on and making their own fun in Appalachia. What draws them to West Virginia?

The internet’s knee-jerk reaction to Fallout 76 is that it’s a dead game. The dust has settled, the game failed, and that’s it. That’s an overreaction, yes, but it’s a common one. The cycle of discourse elevates a game into the spotlight until it’s time for the next big release; the ongoing coverage of Fallout 76 has largely focused on its launch, and each follow-up failure in fixing the title from Bethesda.

Taking part in that dialogue is safe; it’s a stance that allows someone to watch from afar with no skin in the game. To love Fallout 76 is far riskier, thanks to its position in the internet zeitgeist.

“I think the controversies about this game are interesting, because I can recognize and acknowledge all the flaws in this game, yet none of them have impacted my enjoyment enough for me to want to stop playing,” says a fan named Matthew. “My friends are often curious about how I am getting so much enjoyment from a game that is widely regarded as a failure.”

There is no real “endgame” — the game still has technical limitations and issues, and content is being drip-fed into the game at a slower rate than its peers in the games-as-a-service field. This has pulled players away en masse but, in some ways, that’s a benefit to Fallout 76. The people hoping for a full-fledged Fallout MMO, a Fallout they could play forever, have moved on. Those who remain have bought into the fantasy that the existing Fallout 76 offers.

They set up flea markets and pit fights. They congregate in Discords and set up Enclave-themed role-playing spaces, or organize Brotherhood of Steel patrols across West Virginia. They set up shops and try to beckon passersby to come examine their wares, while other players take on the role of bandits and prepare to attack those shops.

Jacobjtl, a community organizer behind the pit fights, is one of the players who has stuck around for these odd gems. “I really enjoyed the Fasnacht event where everyone on a server joined together. When the event ended, I wanted to find a way to replicate that environment — everyone on a server coming to one spot on the map and participating in something.”

He and his buddies had started a tradition of fighting to the death over contested items. From there, Jacobjtl and his friends had the idea to expand that into an arena, with a controlled and lore-heavy PvP environment. Fifteen people gathered in his CAMP (Construction and Assembly Mobile Platform) wearing power armor or preparing for bare knuckle brawls.

For many of these players, whether Fallout 76 is good is immaterial. For them, it’s fun.
Read more : https://www.polygon.com/2019/4/26/18267690/fallout-76-bethesda-community-players