How Much Does Single Player Matter?

Added 10/02/2008 by Hellrazr360

It doesn’t take a genius to realize that games have really altered over the years. Making transitions from 2D to 3D, the creation of several genres and taking explicit content to a whole new level are just some of these changes. There are also shifts that aren’t as easy to notice. One of these is the single player section. Playing solo might have been the real deal ten years ago, but it’s slowly become an afterthought for developers and gamers. Could this be a sign that the single player portion of gaming will eventually fizzle or is there still life left for the solo-oriented mode(s)?

While a few games of yesteryear offered multiplayer in some form, the single player, more times than not, was where the true experience awaited. Titles such as Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy and the always popular Super Mario Bros. games had everything gamers wanted: great stories, memorable characters and a lengthy campaign worth returning to. Now, however, games are leaning more towards the multiplayer components. Games such as Warhawk, World of Warcraft and even Runescape have left their mark on the gaming community while offering nothing more than online play. We’re now going to look and see why the single player has recently taken a back seat to gaming.

“Developers, you must take heed of a compelling story, likeable characters and moderate campaign length.”

Among the many alterations single player has seen, the most obvious is the length of the game. While BioShock and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion have lengthy and well-rounded single player segments (both of which lack multiplayer) the majority of games nowadays barely last ten hours. There’s also been an absence of good, memorable stories; oftentimes having but an empty shell of plot for the mere sake of providing minimal incentive to finish. Characters have also become more of an afterthought, with a fair number being rather annoying or just uninteresting. Adding insult to injury, it’s seldom that a game’s single player offers any incentive to return. Revisiting the story mode for fun has become a thing of the past.

These changes are fairly easy to identify, but what genre(s) have they been the most prevalent in? Arguably the most popular games today are shooters. Halo 3, Call of Duty 4 and Gears of War are constantly vying for the top spot on Xbox Live. And what do these games have in common? Relatively short single player experiences; with Halo 3 having the longest by about an hour or so. While there are plenty of other genres that grab gamers’ attention, with RPG’s, action/adventure and racing games usually being next in line, shooters have become the rock/metal of the gaming industry. Yes, some games in the action/adventure, racing and RPG genre might not be changing as much as shooters, but they usually don’t make the biggest splash in the water. And with how successful these games are getting off their online components alone, it’s likely other developers will seek a similar approach.

Games are rarely as long as the one our buddy here is in. Yeah, I’d be pissed too.

Is all this what the casual gamer really wants in a game they just spent $60 on? Indications certainly point that way. The constant shifts being made to Xbox Live and the plethora of extra content released back this up. Everyday Xbox Live gains more subscribers willing to annually shell out $50 so they can compete with others online and add downloadable content to their gaming library. Given how long Halo 2 was played prior to Halo 3 and other popular online games it appears the casual gamer is just fine with a good multiplayer portion.

All of this is bound to bring more change to the table for videogames, especially with how much has already been made. Campaign modes are being cut down to last a single sitting, stories are becoming less and less of a concern, strong characters are rarely found, and the desire to return to single player modes has become negligible. Since online functionality was incorporated this is what has befallen the single player in many games. If these adjustments have occurred just from the dawn of online multiplayer, what will eventually happen with how quickly the online services are growing?

Ten years for ten hours; is it really so much to ask for more?

Thanks to all this the single player seems doomed to die a slow death as online multiplayer grows. No, single player isn’t dead yet and while there are still games which offer what campaign fans are looking for, they can only hold out for so long. Online multiplayer is the way to play games now. With every hot title reaching high popularity on leaderboards it’s only a matter of time before developers succumb to this contest of online craze. Enjoy what good single player games you can now, because it probably won’t be long before single player in general becomes as trifling as a bum in your typical RPG.

Posted by: HAMMERCLAWxb Date: Oct 19th 2008

Online is definitely the shape of things to come. That being said, just what kind of online experience do fans crave the most? The obvious answer is adverserial in one form or other, and I would not contest it.However, some gamers, my self included, prefer online co-op, and that to some extent requires a decent, well-scripted single-player campaign, which this gamer sorely misses in contempory games in general. Considering the amount of time and money poured into game development, it is sad the story element of the game is given so remarkablely little attention.

Posted by: pawsoffury Date: Oct 2nd 2008

I find that any multiplayer is only as good as the people you play with, regardless of the actual game's quality. Brothers In Arms for example would be great going by the SP experience but as no-one likes to be ordered about by strangers in MP it just plain out doesn't work.

Posted by: TheMurderer Date: Oct 2nd 2008

While Multiplayer is great, imagine having all games with faceless characters that you don't understand, or enemies you don't care about? The beauty of games like Resistance and Gears of War is that you know the awesome backstories and know why you're fighting these monsters, which really draws you into their universe. Without single player, the game industry would probably die out.

Posted by: ice Date: Oct 2nd 2008

The day SP is dead is the day I stop gaming. I don't play online with consoles, and rarely play online with PC. If they cut SP out, they're fools.

Posted by: grrrr Date: Oct 2nd 2008

Not in the slightest bit interested in multi-player unless it involves family and/or friends and for developers to drop single player is a sign of lazyness or severe budget cuts.

Posted by: IceeLady Date: Oct 2nd 2008

The only times I purchase single player games are XBLA or gifts for someone else. It's all about the multi-player experience for me.

Posted by: n9com Date: Oct 2nd 2008

multiplayer tends to give so much more replay value.