You are saying that no video game can amaze you any longer? You can say the players from ARC Raiders are literally doing next-gen things, and I mean it literally. One of the videos of a game, which has gone very famous on the internet, features a player doing something so absurd, so insane, that it brilliantly shows the reason we like to keep discovering the weird things in our games.
To be more specific: The character of the ARC Raiders depicted in the video shared by the user arthomas01 got himself attached to a rocket and was launched directly into space. The video is only a few seconds long but what goes on in it is hard to believe. For a split second we see the player, and then out of the blue he is a dot that is getting bigger going up, disappearing behind the map, and most probably the solar system as well. It is this sort of chaotic activity that is emergent and player-driven and one cannot ever script.
This is the kind of thing that makes you go, what was I even talking about? Oh, right, space travel. So, what is ARC Raiders at the end of the day? Let’s put it this way – it is a free play game so that players can purchase cosmetic items. The game has been created by Embark Studios, a firm established by the very developers who worked on Battlefield. There is a great retro sci-fi look to the game and you will need to collaborate to repulse the enormous robot invaders. But it appears that the real end game is using the enemy’s guns to become a novice astronaut. Who would have imagined?
The online reaction has been terrific, as predicted. Gamers are not just going crazy, they are going crazy in the best way. One of the gamers, Robin, commented that the player “awarded the secret ARC Space Program,” which is very true indeed. Another person, Kevin Carlson, made a great analogy by saying, “I’m Jonny Knoxville and this…is rocket rodeo! (Jackass theme starts playing).” That’s precisely the vibe. It is such a ridiculous and cunning act that it ought to have been an MTV show in the early 2000s.
Some of the comments were simply hype. One user, YouriDB, said, “That’s so crazy, man, seems like there’s no limit to what you can do in this game!” Amit called the player just “creative af,” which is an understatement. Another user BDragonDex, however, was mourning the loss: “And that’s the last we’ve heard of Jeff. Bye bye, Jeff.” Space-going Jeff, may your content sacrifice not go unrecognized on your way to the next galaxy.
The very light sketch of the situation only confirms the point of fun in the game. This short video is just a small part of something much larger that is going on with ARC Raiders. Players are definitely doing tests and have even pushed the physics and mechanics beyond their limits. Dante made a comment that was both funny and a bit terrifying: “What if there is someone up there who is watching and is then reporting the flying players.” The scenario of having campers in orbit waiting to shoot down rocket riders is such a far-fetched and next-level strategy that we are not ready for.
A few players took this opportunity to demote the game and proclaim it was not worth their time. One user asked the original poster, “Do you guys like this game?” and another replied, “it is actually good.” The reply was amicable but casual and it might have resulted in some downloads. The point is that if a game can offer this sort of spontaneous and crazy fun then it must be built on a sound foundation. MartinezOnChain expressed it like this, “This game keeps impressing me more and more each day 😭”.
Such instances are the ones that remind us of one of the major reasons we play video games. It is not always about metas, grind, or perfect builds. Sometimes it can be just spotting a huge rocket, thinking, “I wonder what will happen if I attach myself to that,” and then acting on that thought. And then becoming a meme. The developers may never have intended for the players to ride the rockets but they created a system that even caters to that crazy player fantasy, albeit for a glorious, gravity-defying second.
So, what is the moral of the story? ARC Raiders is still out there, free to play, and already the community is coming up with the most amusing ways to take advantage of its flaws. If you are looking for a shooter where the biggest threat is your trade partner turning you into rocket fuel, then maybe it is time you drop down. Just keep your eyes open, not only for the robots but also for the players trying to sneak a ride to the moon. The frontier seems to be absolutely wide open. Sometimes it’s vertical, and the direction is just that, up. For more on PlayStation and Xbox gaming news, check out the related links.
