# Any online multiplayer games that ensure equal skill competition? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 2, 2004, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-online-multiplayer-games-that-ensure-equal-skill-competition/243069 "2004-05-02T00:32:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-online-multiplayer-games-that-ensure-equal-skill-competition/243069/1 "2004-05-02T00:32:28Z")
I am put off playing the online mode of Unreal tournament 2004 by the fact that most of the time the other participants are better than me. I remember at college we used to play table tennis during dinner hours. The system was that if you beat your oponent you moved to the next table. If you were beaten you moved to the previous table. There were about 7 tables. This system ensured that each person would more often than not be competing against someone of almost equal skill. (I almost always played the person who happened to by my closest friend in the class) Are there any online games out there that manage to accurately rate a person according to their success in the game and then pair them up with players of an equal rating, or indicate to them a ‘game’ that contains players of a rougly equal skill, thus creating a situation of equality where the players actually have \*fun? [sub]\*As it is, the better players get board beating the lesser players, and the lesser players get frustrated being beaten[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-online-multiplayer-games-that-ensure-equal-skill-competition/243069/2 "2004-05-02T04:10:00Z")
About the only thing I can think of are MMORPG-type games where everyone levels and two level 7s are not that different, skill-wise. I’m not real sure what you’re looking for, though. ---
**Author:** ![Phnord\_Prephect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@Phnord\_Prephect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phnord_Prephect)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-online-multiplayer-games-that-ensure-equal-skill-competition/243069/3 "2004-05-02T10:49:25Z")
Such games exist, but mostly I’ve only seen it with strategy-type games. Specifically, I play Age of Empires on the micro-soft zone. They have a ranking system of some sort available, which is apparently to ensure that you play against players of equal skill. Somehow. Apparently it tracks wins and losses and compares them to your opponent. I don’t play the ladders, I generally only play with friends, so I’m not ranked. I’ve seen it in a few other games, as well; a version of Monopoly I found somewhere once, that sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-online-multiplayer-games-that-ensure-equal-skill-competition/243069/4 "2004-05-02T17:18:24Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > [sub]\*As it is, the better players get **board** beating the lesser players, and the lesser players get frustrated being beaten[/sub] I am officially embarrased by that glaring spelling mistake. “board”!? ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-online-multiplayer-games-that-ensure-equal-skill-competition/243069/5 "2004-05-02T18:15:15Z")
Well, Yahoo Games has a ranking system for each game, so once you’re ranked, you can choose to play against those of rankings close to you. It’s not fail-safe as you may have caught someone who’s really good and has only just begun playing, for instance. Hmm…PokerPages.com has a poker game, where, in tournaments the tables are “leveled” every so often, but that’s based on money won, and not skill (one doesn’t preclude the other). That’s all I can think of at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-online-multiplayer-games-that-ensure-equal-skill-competition/243069/6 "2004-05-02T18:50:09Z")
Try some of [these.](http://www.nabiscoworld.com/games/) ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-online-multiplayer-games-that-ensure-equal-skill-competition/243069/7 "2004-05-03T19:26:40Z")
warcraft and starcraft on [battle.net](http://www.battle.net/ladder/ladderfaq.shtml). the same problem occurs where experts choose to start a new account for whatever reasons, though they should quickly climb up out of the way of newbies in theory. i think it works better with a greater ladder population. > [@](#): > > … The rating system used by [Battle.net](http://Battle.net) is the same Elo rating system that is used in competitive chess, golf, and tennis. The Elo rating is a scientific model which provides a meaningful way to compare the skill level of different players, based on the assumption that skill levels follow a normal bell curve. … > [@](#): > > … A player gains or loses XP at the end of a game, as outlined on Charts 1 through 2. When a player gains enough XP to meet or exceed the amount listed on Chart 1 under “XP Needed,” that player then advances to the next level. Players can lose levels when they lose games (some XP are lost with each game loss), but can never go below level 1 and 0 XP. > > Game winners receive XP based on the difference in levels of the players, and losers lose XP based on the same level spread. Thus, low-level players that defeat high-level players will gain a great deal of experience, while high-level players who defeat low-level players will only gain a small amount of experience. The precise amounts lost and gained by the players is listed on Chart 2. … ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-online-multiplayer-games-that-ensure-equal-skill-competition/243069/8 "2004-05-04T00:44:57Z")
> [@Garfield226](#): > > Well, Yahoo Games has a ranking system for each game, so once you’re ranked, you can choose to play against those of rankings close to you. It’s not fail-safe as you may have caught someone who’s really good and has only just begun playing, for instance. Yeah, Yahoo Pool is pretty good for even playing fields. And it’s a pretty good time, as well.