In a revelation that will no doubt send shockwaves through the industry perception that video game lovers are somehow hardwired to pick between Activision's Modern Warfare 3 and EA's Battlefield 3 - it turns out that a large percentage of online gamers actually play both titles.
While this new report may not quell the on-going fanboy war that has led to ridiculously low user-scores for Modern Warfare 3 on metacritic or caused heated discussions in the comment sections of Call of Duty/Battlefield 3 articles on the site, it's a breath of fresh air that some gamers, despite all the market hype and impassioned fans, are having fun with both game titles.
According to the survey, which was conducted by Raptr (a research firm dedicated to the gaming industry), "53% of Battlefield 3 players on Xbox 360 are also playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3." While it's unclear what percentage of Modern Warfare 3 gamers are playing Battlefield 3 (since the pool of Call of Duty players is larger), the report definitely gives levity to a debate that has been downright hostile lately.
Of course, the survey also indicates that "users logged an average of 40% more playtime in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Xbox 360 version) than Battlefield 3 on the respective games' launch days." A statistic that will, at the same time, throw gasoline on the same FPS debate.
While some Call of Duty fans will no doubt point to this statistic as an indication of their game's superior quality, it's important to remember that Battlefield 3 is, for a lot of players, less familiar (and, potentially, less accessible) - meaning that even if they're enjoying the online play, there's no doubt that it's easier to get lost in a familiar experience - like the refined online formula of Modern Warfare 3.
We've mentioned it repeatedly here on the site, fanboy wars tend to highlight the extremes on both sides of an argument - where many gamers actually exist somewhere in between. Whether we're talking about PS3 vs. Xbox 360 or Battlefield 3 vs. Modern Warfare 3, it's important to remember that, despite your game/console preference, the industry is full of great experiences - delivered by hard-working people at various game studios (even if you don't like their product).
It's great to disagree and have fun debates but with so many people purchasing more than one console these days - or enjoying both Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 - it's hard to make the argument that, in the grand scheme of things, many of these high-profile offerings are terrible or worthless experiences.
-
Follow me on Twitter @benkendrick.
You can enjoy both Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3 right now on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.