I'm Curious About the Appeal of Squid Partying

[Driftwood]

To start off this isn't a criticism of people who like to squid party or trying to say people shouldn't do it. I'm actually curious what the appeal is. It's not something I run into that often anymore as I rarely play Turf War, with the exception of Splatfests, especially during mirror matches (and well...I was team Saturday this weekend, which is why I'm thinking about this right now).

For me personally I don't find it fun. I get that there is social interaction/recognition/celebration going on, and for things like a successful Salmon Run shift completion it totally makes sense to me. But after a few seconds of squiding around it gets boring to me.

However...it's pretty clear to me that a lot of people get something out of squid partying that I don't. It's been something that's existed forever and a lot of people like to do engage in it. So I'm curious to know what folks who like squid parties get out of it.

 

[KallMeQul]

i dont squid party super often. only do sometimes if someone else starts it or if a lot of people have dc'd past first minute (it feels really mean to play out a 4v1) but when i do, it's nice to have a connection to the players on the opposite team. like yeah, there are other real-life people on the other side of the screen, and we can take a break from exploding each other by flopping on the floor together.

i recall in particular one party i had way back in S2, and yeah, this was during a ranked match. had a bad string of losses earlier that day. found an enemy player flopping around in a completely irrelevent area of skipper pavillion, partied with them for 3/4th of the match, i dont even remember if i ended up winning that game or not but the mood lift was incredible.
sometimes you just need a break from the battling with a chill laid-back party break. especially if you're getting frustrated with bad loss streaks or mirror match hell.

 

[squidkidsplatoony123]

ik this is a few days old but, ive had my fair share of squid parties over the years and for me it's just the feeling of fun friendship and bonding... plus doing more than just flopping, like jumping to each other or over each other or into the water :3

some of my most memorable splat1 and 2 moments were full lobby squid parties and i even remember making a miiverse post as a kid where i sought out someone i had partied with xD it's nice to make friends with someone even if it's just for a match or so

i feel like it was more common back in splat1 tho, i dont see it as much nowadays... and you just don't get videos like the lonely party squid anymore

 

[Shroomy]

it can be fun at the right time like if you just want to celebrate real quick as long as you aren't squidbagging anyone or being a non contributing teammate. i don't understand how people can do it the entirety of the match though.

 

[Dessgeega]

Splatoon is made by Nintendo. Nintendo tends to market their games either to children or to all ages, and Splatoon is no exception. Therefore Splatoon attracts a lot of kids and immature adults (bit of overlap there). Kids aren't always going to take things seriously or play to win, and pressing ZL makes funny noises. It can be fun.

So yeah. I don't do it myself but I absolutely get how it comes about.

 

[Hikarimoon]

OH SQUID PARTYING ISSS FUN

YOU HAVE TO TRY IT OUT IMO
(but u don’t have to if u don’t want to)

 

[Mx_Diva]

Squid partying may look bizarre but it's not having squid partying that is boring. Splatoon needs a place where we all hold hands and sing "Kumbaya" after raining holy hell on each other. Seems like a nightclub simulator isn't such a bad idea after all.

 

[StarDusk]

I think it's fun to make friends with people you're supposed to be fighting, even if only for a couple minutes. It can also be fun with the rest of the other team attacking you (and vice versa), you can get silly interactions out of it. I rarely initiate squid parties myself though, I only do it if someone else starts it

 

[Driftwood]

Squid partying may look bizarre but it's not having squid partying that is boring. Splatoon needs a place where we all hold hands and sing "Kumbaya" after raining holy hell on each other. Seems like a nightclub simulator isn't such a bad idea after all.

I actually do like this idea and kind of wish they had multiplayer social spaces (other than the low FPS holograms you see in the training room). Part of the issue with squid partying imo is that it's in a context where competition is ostensibly supposed to be going on and that can cause all sorts of problems and mixed signals. It's too bad they don't have some sort of multiplayer in-game social spaces (where you interact with other players instead of static avatars) like you are suggesting. Though obviously that would have required more dev time in a game that I kind of suspect had development issues already.

 

[NeoXVIII]

I've been on both sides of the squid party spectrum tbh. I find them fine and even fun in splatfest mirror matches since there really isn't much to gain from them. Normal turf I'm indifferent to them, maybe in the last 20 seconds I'll party if I'm in the mood, ranked nope.

I also don't find playing for the sole purpose of partying very fun either omegalul. There's only so much you can do after pressing ZL or spinning in circles, I'd rather not do it for more than a match at most.

An in game social place would be really neat, tableturf lobbies kinda dance around the concept but it's not quite the same.

 

[Hikarimoon]

I've been on both sides of the squid party spectrum tbh. I find them fine and even fun in splatfest mirror matches since there really isn't much to gain from them. Normal turf I'm indifferent to them, maybe in the last 20 seconds I'll party if I'm in the mood, ranked nope.

I also don't find playing for the sole purpose of partying very fun either omegalul. There's only so much you can do after pressing ZL or spinning in circles, I'd rather not do it for more than a match at most.

An in game social place would be really neat, tableturf lobbies kinda dance around the concept but it's not quite the same.

Yeahhh. At first it’s kinda fun but then after a while u start to get bored of all the spams and squid bags that u start splating ppl and they splat u

 

[Aiko.Octo]

Squidparties and leapfrogging in the lobby between games is fun and it's how I've made a lot of switch-friends. During games it can be a lot of fun as long as it doesn't happen too often. The rarity of it makes it kind of precious, a moment of just stopping to be silly and goof off with someone you're supposed to be fighting. But when it becomes common it really loses that magic, and at a certain point becomes annoying because I did queue up to play a normal game, after all.

But I don't see them that often outside of mirror matches these days, so I do tend to fully enjoy them when they happen. Especially when everyone joins in, people start superjumping repeatedly to each other (but everyone is in one place so it just looks like a bunch of inkfish jumping high into the air for fun), brushes draw hearts in the ink around the group, and/or everyone jumps off the edge of the map together at the end. It just makes me smile so much. It is a nice reminder that while we can be sometimes be deadly serious and viciously competitive we are all still just silly colorful creatures at the end of the day.

It would still be nice though if there were something like public recon rooms you could join if you just wanted to socialize with random people outside of a game. Actually, maybe there should be a pool for that, where you join if you just want to find recon private battles with random people for social purposes.

 

[Alphine_Agnitio]

Personally if you try to squid party mid game without a good reason(ex, player dced so you might as well not play it out/game is going to end anyway) I'm not going to care and keep playing the game normally. I consider it a massive waste of time when I could be doing more productive things relative to my own goals. Outside games I think its fine, and in stuff like salmon run I often squidbag and spam booyah if we get a really good egg score, as a way to show my excitement to the other players.

 

[mizuta_ahato]

it's the idea of, in a game where there's not given too much active communication between players, finding another way to connect with them. have you seen in some parties that people equip a charger/brush to write 'hi', 'i <3 u', and smilies? it's the rarity of having a break from competitive matches and just... seeing that other people are like you- happy to be there, goofy, seeking fun.

of course after sometime you get bored of it and go back to battling (or leave the lobby quietly like i do!), plus there aren't many ways TO party, you know? spinning, ZL spam, jumping/off the map isn't something i'd wanna do for too long. but... it's always exciting to squidbag at something and other people join you, like making new friends!

i am curious when you say that lots of mirror matches end up being parties, because every mirror i've had (a LOT with that last fest being on team saturday) people still fought. it's a waste in my opinion...

 

[OnePotWonder]

I'm not much of a partier, but I find ways to entertain myself while one is occurring.
If I have a special like Wave or Chumps equipped, I'll farm it and fire it at the party to give them something extra to do.
Practicing map rounds and movement can be an effective use of the spare time.
It is fun when I end up protecting the party from that one guy on the enemy team who keeps trying to splat everyone.

The only situations where I'll actually party are when a game is virtually, or in the case of Salmon Run, literally won.
I'll admit that it is certainly satisfying and fun in a goofy way, but Turf War is still far more engaging.

 

[SmokyWreck]

I used to be pro squidparties in splatoon 1, then in splat 2 I slowly distanced myself from the behavior but didn't ruin the fun either.
In splatoon 3, I report squidpartier the same I would squidbaggers when they are the minority in the lobby. It's worth noting I won't ruin the fun they have. I won't seek them out and kill them, I'll just ink and play the match while being careful not to hurt them. Then leave, report the unsportmanship behavior and hop into a new lobby.

With all that said I do squidparty in the lobby a lot, specially because players are very goofy in the skill level I am in. There IS benefits to partying with people;
-Improved synergy with said players.
-Help release tension/frustration from losing.
-More likely to have them stay in the lobby after a lost.
-Potentially cheering someone who's having a bad day or losing streak.

And yes, I have crossed path with X rankers AND S+ players who partied with me in the lobby inbetween ranked matches. It's like when you booyah cool play you see. It improve synergy and good play overall because you get less tunnel vision when in a good mood.

Also, little tip;
Booyah your sniper's shot! I had someone booyah my shots once as a bamboozler because I survived VS 3 people and I guess my team mate was impressed. To this very day it still left a mark on me and make me smile at the memory. Plus, snipers tend to protect people that booyah they shots. I noticed I get defended and assisted more when I praise my snipers. LMAO.