Pay to win models are shit. Much prefer twitch/skill based models where you can't apply currency to anything mechanical.

Some people don’t get highs from beating other people. ... Campaign style playing with others isn’t AS bad, though.

That's fine, I can understand that. And it definitely helps to play with people you trust. I'm just saying you take a bigger risk with random people, and sometimes you find something unique you wouldn't otherwise find.

PVP sucks. There are always people willing to spend more money than I am on a game.

PVP games aren't inherently pay to win. I share your dislike if it comes to that. It must be an even playing field to be enjoyable.

Totally agree. I loved playing LAN tournaments back in the day. Having good opponents definitely makes the experience a lot more likable since you can just avoid many of the frustrating situations with horrible people. Every good winner needs a good loser for things to remain friendly. But sadly as I'm sure you noticed as well, as you grow up less and less times will you have a full group of the people you like to play with ready to play at the same time.

That's the problem that matchmaking in part solves. And sometimes randoms can do things that you would never see a friend of yours do. I still think you have a wider range of experiences with random people, but it does require taking a bigger risk. But I understand that's not for everyone.

I hate matchmaking so much!!! Its such a garbage mechanic. Let me pick a server to play against/with the same dozen people over and over. Some of the best impromptu friendships I've ever had were from server based PvP, because I could encounter the same people over and over.

It depends for me. Matchmaking is specifically employed to avoid the situation of one sided matches. That is, one player being completely unable to compete in any way because of difference i experience. Similarly, being the one doing the stomping can be more enjoyable, but not forever. Eventually it feels like playing against AI opponents, and you can't really develop high level strategies if you always have to keep in mind your opponent might be totally oblivious to anything you do. Typically you do want some grouping with at least similar skill level, so that you can go all without feeling bad or feeling held back. Perhaps some modern matchmaking is too strict, that's something to look at case to case.

I think an AI could replace the gameplay aspect of human players to a certain degree. But you're hitting the nail on it's head. The human factor would be lost. Human players do things that don't make sense at times, or to achieve an overhanging purpose that no AI could be taught. Most AI implementations (even if we're not talking about machine learning) are very static. Once you figure out a trick to confuse the AI, like hiding behind a specific wall to ambush them, it's not going to learn you can do that until a developer updates it. A human player would notice, and eventually would start expecting you to do it and fight against it. Within the same match. I'd argue it's currently impossible for AI to match that level of ingenuity, at least currently.

Personally, I've met some of the nicest people I know in PVP games. Has modern matchmaking made that harder? Probably. But not impossible. I also prefer community servers. But those games still exist out there. They're just much more niche, because it takes a specific kind of person to go for that. And it requires a level of discomfort of the player, as the steps to learn the ropes becomes much harder. Sadly, few people willingly take that route.

It's why people are different right. I try to also hold on to the positive memories more than the negative. But some people get called slurs for too many games in a row or don't get any chance to participate, and get turned off forever. That's a normal reaction I feel. I like to think if you keep liking PVP games for long enough you have an easier time shrugging off stupid people you play against. It's what you need to keep going. Or just find that one game with only wholesome people in it, although those are dimes a dozen.