I feel like a good chunk of multiplayer games these days are either extremely toxic by design or don’t put a whole lot of emphasize on actually playing together.
It kinda feels like a lot of games more or less turn you into a less stupid bot for others to play with and there is not so much space for social interaction anymore.
Do you know any games that still invite you to get to know new people?
I am not sure if it will help you know more people, but Deep Rock Galactic has one of the most friendly Multiplayer experiences I ever had. You will find a lemon from time to time, but in general it is a great community as long as you Rock and Stone when someone Rock and Stones to you (you will understand) :-)
Edit: And, probably not a coincidence, DRG has awesome Developers and the general tone of the game is just… wholesome I think is the right word :-)
Rock and Stone!!!
Did I hear a rock and stone?
To the Bone!
If you don’t rock and stone, you ain’t comin home.
You should avoid battle royals and first person shooters. MMORPGs have created communities since their inceptions, I believe. I think FFXIV would fit your description.
I second this. FFXIV has a great community, it really reminded me of older days in gaming where there were constantly events and parties and meet-ups. There are even bands in this game where they go to major towns and play music together, it’s really cool.
For me this is Minecraft. Finding a casual server with a minimum age requirement was key. I’m surprised how many decade-long friendships came from this community.
Warframe had a very pay-it-forward culture when I played (Fortuna-Old Blood expansions). I got advice on meta starter weapons (Hek/Atomos) and Warframes (Rhino) and where to farm them. I got taxis to locked (for me) planets and direct help for some of the bosses. Other noobs were also helpful for the mutual revives. I even got some free trash mods from a clan member when they saw I was new.
For spontaneous conversations I’d join clan parties or simple missions with lots of downtime (i.e., escort, wave survival). Endgame farms with specific roles and/or time gating like Eidolon hunts were very sweaty.
Smash bros in general is the biggest one I can think of, but minecraft too.
