As veteran gamers might tell you, the majority of online gaming communities are nothing but snake pits, which makes it all the more refreshing to note that Fire Pro Wrestling World is different.
The reputation which online gaming communities have garnered over the years is a major reason why people prefer avoiding the online multi-player mode altogether. Not only are they highly annoying, but you get to play with strangers who would get you all sort of names because they know that they are shielded by the protection provided by the virtual world.
My first true foray into online gaming communities came with the Xband during the 1990s, and it was truly awful. Apart from being called names, I was subjected to such sickening abuse that I decided to stop playing online for a long, long time. In fact, had it not been for reviewing games for a living, I might not have returned to Online gaming at all.
With such damaging experiences playing online games, it was a huge sigh of relief for me to note that the Fire Pro Wrestling World community was different. I’ve spent more than 50 hours in the game, with online bouts consuming a significant piece of that time.
The last time I played a Fire Pro game religiously was back in 2001 when the Dreamcast version had just come out. As you might guess, that was a long time ago, which means that I may have missed out on a large number of gameplay additions.
Therefore, when I switched to Fire Pro Wrestling World on my PC, I had a lot of questions. What is a Concrete Match? How to do Corner to Center attack? What is a Pro Wrestling match? As you might guess, it wasn’t days before I got answers to these questions.
It wasn’t until I used the in-game text chat that I started getting the answers to my questions. Fearful of my previous experiences, I was expecting snark and bile. Luckily, the people I found myself paired with were very eager to help me. So much so that while our conversations started with the Fire Pro, they were extended to discuss wrestling as a whole.
Buoyed by my experience, some of those kind souls have found their way into my Steam Friends list. In this way, before uploading our matches and edits to the Steam workshop, we can run and test them. And once we uploaded our edits to the Steam workshop, the response was again brilliant.
Yes, I received criticism when my Edits needed some work, however, it was nothing but constructive. On the flip side, when I managed to upload a well-made Edit, the entire community congratulated me on the effort.
Why Fire Pro Wrestling World is Different?
Looking back in hindsight, I have tried to guess what is it that makes the Fire Pro Wrestling World community so welcoming. The answer: its small but passionate fan base.
They are the people who, though small in number, want others to enjoy their game in the same way as they do. Therefore, whenever a new member like me arrives, they take his hand and lead him to the path of happiness.
Another reason which I think makes this community different is the built-in text chat. With no option of voice messages, the stranger on the other side isn’t able to guess your gender, hence the abuse which comes with gender is no longer there.
That said, I’ve indulged in other, text-only online games, and they were woeful. Therefore, once again, it is the fan base of the Fire Pro Wrestling world which makes it different in a good way.
