The Extinction of the Single Player Experience?

[mdiggitydawg]

have to agree with all my single player fan friends here...46 years old...forgive me, but unless i'm playing with people I know, I don't want to hear, talk to, or play against some ignorant, loud mouth wanna be which I find way too often with an online multiplayer experience. I love Battlefield, but don't wear the head set half the time because of the bigoted, stupid posturing. Have to say, I enjoy the old "franchise" experience and playing my team in my league with my drink near by.

[Rdub33]

This is the thing I feel like most critics of mp online experiences seem to miss... It's not always about playing random strangers who glitch and the b word that rhymes with glitch their way to victory. It's about me living in Chicago but playing against my lil brother in Tampa and my best friend in Baltimore and my bitter rival from the south side..... Helping to maintain and in some rare cases create good relationships is what makes mp superior to SP. I agree with the writer that SP still has its merits, but the VG industry is spot on to focus most of its efforts on improving MP experiences. Video killed the radio star and the Internet killed the video star. Just is what it is.

[Schwart]

There is nothing to worry about. As long as there is demand for single player games, there will be a supply.

[ReadyForTheShow]

As long as I can play these multiplayer versions alone I am ok. For instance NCAA Online Dynasty can be played alone and it's at the point where both are similar. I haven't played in a few years but last time I checked the only difference may have been create a player in recruiting classes? If they do it where nothing is missed or "dumbed down" and like I said, it can be played alone, without others, then there's nothing wrong with it all being 'multiplayer' in my view.

[prowler]

Of course it makes sense of a company like EA to embrace the always online experience, they are a publicly traded company. They have to constantly generate earnings quarterly and annually. Being always online allows them greater security over microtransactions as well as the ability to force gamers to purchase a newer game by shutting off the servers of the older game; both of which generate lots of money.

I can't speak for all of the companies mentioned but Bethesda (and it's parent company Zenimax) are privately-held companies. This is why they can spend half a decade building an immersive single player game, there are no shareholders breathing down their necks impatiently awaiting their dividends.

As long as their are privately-held companies and publicly traded companies like Costco (different industry, same principle) that put customers before shareholders, the single player experience is far from extinct.

[TreyIM2]

Personally, I don't believe SP is going away. Videogames' core is SP and there are tons of SP gamers who prefer to stay that way, including myself, so if it is to ever be phased out, so will millions of dollars.

But like I said, I don't believe it will go away. SP is also a great escape for many of us to get away from society for a while and get lost mentally in a videogame, just like many of us do with watching a movie at home. Even many online gamers elike to switch up and play a more cinematic SP game here and there. It's a great option and no need for the industry to burn that bridge.

[Gramps91]

Single player is the only way for me. I hate multiplayer it's ruining all of my favorite gaming franchises.

[David Brown]

I am a lot older at 64 then other players. I love the single player mode and do care for the MP mode. I love playing against the computer or playing with my grandson. It is a time of relaxing playing my Xbox and getting away from the busy world. At 64 I am not that good in the MP mode. I still play games with my grandson on the old Xbox and the 360. To old to change! Keep SP!

[grodbetatted]

I have a complete different mindset then a lot of you. Might be because im 24. Do I enjoy a good single player game with a good story line every now and then? Yes i do, but I'm more of a sports gamer and and first person shooter player than anything. So I love playing online. I love being able to put my talents up against others. If they win they win, if I win I win... Never been much of a trash talker. Like my plan is to buy NBA Live 14, it would be a complete waste without being online

[Nox_Caelum]

19 year old. I really hope this isn't true, a SP gamer throuugh and through, I'd rather complain about in-game AI than have to deal with people I don't know online, none of/few of my friends play on the same console/similar games and when playing w/ people I'm much happier meeting up and playing face to face than online. If games force you into MP, I won't buy it.

[Dalsanto0026]

If single player goes then I'm done with gaming. I play games to escape the real world ie people.

[DubTrey1]

I do not see any developer closing the single player experience out of any future titles. They do realize in order to saturate the market - offline Users make up enough $'s that they will need to at least produce an option for it. Makes more revenue, thus makes more sense to have it there. Sports games especially.

[niebs79]

good points, i think in the sports realm the single player experience is sure to die down based on a few different things, but the main reason being now a days, is the difference between playing against the computers AI or against a friend or some one online. Take any sports game for example, there's more players migrating to an online dynasty/franchise to consume the game entirely cause its more fun compared to playing it by yourself against a computer/the level of being challenged.

as someone who has played ncaa for 12 years now in dynasty mode, i can say its way more fun/challenging against humans than cpu and i can't wait for this year. shoot me a pm if you have an online dynasty, i'm looking for one

[FBeaule04]

How do you solve the problem of bad AI? Force people to play Human vs. Human.

If that's the case, they can kiss my *ss with buying their products. I prefer a dumb AI to a stupid human like I had to with EASHL for 3 years. No AI can destroy a game like a human online. I've never heard an AI yelling insanities all game long or making the game unplayable.

No surprise game developpers are looking for that. Means less work for them since the players took all the decisions.

Well, enough said. If that's the case, then so be it. But I'll do something else because I've have enough stupid people to be with all day but I'm paid for it. No way I'm going to pay to play with stupid people!

[SVCbearcat10]

I definitely do not see single player games going away; however, I think more multiplayer only games will hit the market. EASHL is almost unplayable at times and ultimately takes away from the NHL series. That game is a lot of fun (and more challenging with the original tuner set) playing offline. The only way multiplayer only takes off is if cheating and glitching can be prevented. Since that is impossible, I don't think the single player experience has much to worry about at all.