If there's one game I've played more than any other this Summer, it's probably Rocket League. The soccer/vehicle hybrid had some momentum leading up to its July release, but I don't think many people expected it to capture audiences like it has in its first few weeks. The game is small in scope, but it's structured in such a way that it appeals to the more competitive crowds out there. In fact, it's now an official eSports title. I doubt I'll ever be good enough to compete in official tournaments, but I certainly see why Rocket League continues to rise in popularity as it enters the competitive gaming scene.
Many people, myself included, are new to the Rocket League formula, but the game is actually a sequel to the 2009 downloadable game Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars. Some of Rocket League's popularity comes from fans of that game, but developer Psyonix probably didn't expect to see such a huge leap with its latest project. Just last week the company tweeted that over 4 million people have downloaded the game on PlayStation 4 and PC. Let's not forget the game came out this month. That's a huge player base in a short amount of time, and it speaks to the game's ability to inspire competition among players.
When I think of Rocket League, I think of the moments in soccer when one team is on the verge of scoring. Now imagine that happening every few moments over the course of an entire match. Pretty exciting, right? That's how most Rocket League matches play out, and it provides an adrenaline rush that few other multiplayer games match or eclipse. It also acts as an analog to soccer in that it gets the competitive juices flowing. I don't consider myself to be an intense person, but when I play a game of Rocket League I enact laser focus and truly compete. I want to win every match that I participate in, and I don't typically care that much when I play multiplayer games.
One of the keys to victory is obviously teamwork, and it plays a huge role in Rocket League. I've jumped into plenty of matches with random players, and sometimes we work together well. Other times we all bump into each other and appear to sabotage ourselves. The one time when I played with online friends, we communicated over party chat and consistently won every match (that didn't involve an AI bot appearing mid-match). Now imagine that on a wider scale with hyper-competitive players competing to win prizes and tournaments. That's a reality of Rocket League now that it's an official eSports game, and the mechanics translate well to matches in which the stakes are higher and something tangible is on the line.
That being said, the beauty of Rocket League is that it's an approachable competitive game. I usually shrink under pressure, and yet here I am playing the game constantly and singing its praises. The community doesn't alienate new players, and it allows different groups to compete at different levels. I'm not going to become an eSports Rocket League player, but that doesn't mean I won't compete in intense back-and-forth matches.
It's a stark contrast to other seemingly impenetrable eSports games like Dota 2 or League of Legends. The barrier to entry in Rocket League is comparatively much smaller, but the room for growth still exists. I struggle in Rocket League every now and then, but I'm clearly a lot better than when I first started playing the game. I could easily see an average Joe like me ascend to the eSports scene with enough discipline and patience. Let's just say I lack those two qualities.
The next test for Rocket League is longevity. It's less than a month old, so it still feels fresh and exciting at the moment. Only time will tell whether that's the case months from now. On the plus side, watching other people play Rocket League is a ton of fun too. I wouldn't be surprised to see Psyonix add a spectator mode in the game to drum up even more interest in the coming weeks. Now excuse me while I go play some more Rocket League.
