Battlefield 4 Multiplayer and Its Emergent Gameplay

Player 1 and 2 happen upon a several hundred meter tall tower. Player #2 enters said tower and rides the elevator to the top while #1 notices a ladder leading into an underground hallway. Player #1 signals for his buddy to follow him. They encounter an interactive laptop. After setting the timer on this laptop, the unsuspecting players are caught off-guard by the blaring of the alarms and flashing lights, setting them off into a frenzied search for the nearest exit. Once both players are safely outside, the search for a vantage point begins. A conveniently placed set of rocks with a clear view of the tower calls to them. The explosion finally sets off, making its way from the bottom until it reaches the top. Player #2 teases his teammate, saying “Haha, watch out. Better not let that fall on you.” just seconds before he himself is crushed underneath the weight of the debris while the buddy he sarcastically warned remains unscathed.

This is a “Battlefield” moment and this is where Battlefield 4, even two years on from release, still succeeds as an engaging multiplayer experience. Emergent gameplay moments steal the show, engendering a sense of raw excitement and unpredictability that few other multiplayer games can match. A typical Battlefield 4 match is usually filled with multiple unplanned single-player style set-piece moments. Riding an elevator up to the roof of a twelve story building, then jumping off and parachuting into a building across from it with a blown-open wall and shooting up the place, kicking off debris and particles all over the place is more exhilarating than any tightly controlled set piece in the game’s own single player campaign.