Apparently, id and Quake are stuck in 1993, where people would go to arcades and could only play 1v1, and everyone would wait in line and put their quarters up on the screen, and if you got a high-score, you'd put in your initials, and everyone would see them on the high-score page.

It's absolutely incredible how basically no progress has been made from that old arcade-model. People are still playing 1v1 (although, team-games are available). People are still waiting in line. There still isn't much beyond the equivalent of playing a game at an arcade (such as leagues, ladders and tournaments; which do exist, but only from third-parties and are therefore not particularly functional). There is almost no audience-support. Watching a game is usually the equivalent of going to an arcade, and standing behind the players.

I don't know why, developers are incapable of utilizing new technology. Maybe it's just difficult breaking old habits? They make arcade-like games for 15 years, and then the internet comes out, which allows a vastly different model, but they're so used to their typical operating procedures, they fail to implement practically anything worthwhile. The main difference seems to be, you don't actually have to go to the arcade anymore (which is still untrue for lans). Maybe habits make people narrow-minded?

If there's any good news, it's that a wealth of potential still exists for online gaming. Without question, the best is yet to come. We've been wading through crap this whole time, being held back by aging developers the equivalent of old-dogs unable to learn new tricks.