Single Player Gaming is Dead?

[Darth Knox]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ksBmc2Y4ZE" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">Error 404 (Not Found)!!1</a>

[scifidude79]

I don't have time to watch the video right now, but just going from the title, all I have to say is: Like hell it is. It may be the case for AAA games, which is probably what the video focuses on, but some of the best games that get released are by indie developers, in my humble opinion. As long a they're around, I don't see single player gaming going anywhere. (if it does, I'll just stop buying new games)

[Darth Knox]

I don't have time to watch the video right now, but just going from the title, all I have to say is: Like hell it is. It may be the case for AAA games, which is probably what the video focuses on, but some of the best games that get released are by indie developers, in my humble opinion. As long a they're around, I don't see single player gaming going anywhere. (if it does, I'll just stop buying new games)

They do mention AAA games, but don't focus on them exclusively.

I highly recommend watching the video, or if you're stuck for time, it's available as a podcast on What Culture Gaming site.

[scifidude79]

I'll watch the video during my bus ride to work. The ride is an hour, so it won't be an issue.

[scifidude79]

They brought up a lot of good points about where the game industry is heading. I like those 8-10 hour single player games that you can play through on a weekend, but many companies and even gamers don't seem to want those anymore. If a game is released with a campaign that length these days, so many people review it and say it's short. A lot of people seem to want those 50+ hour games that take days, even weeks to complete. How can you possibly have time to play more than a few of them in a six month stretch, unless you have no job or other responsibilities? I'm gone for work 60 hours a week, so weekends are my best bet for gaming. If a game goes on too long, I tend to lose interest. 4k environments for games are the only really viable use for 4k tech, so I can see why the gaming industry is pushing that, but it does nothing for me. My TV is 1080p, and my computer monitor is 900p. Paid DLC, loot boxes and forced multiplayer are things I absolutely hate. Going to play a game only to have to download a 5GB update really irks me. If the gaming industry switches to streaming for gaming, I'll get off the bus. Though, I've already decided the PS4 and the XBOX One will be mu my last consoles, I hardly even play them anyway. Just my opinions, of course.

I think the direction the gaming industry is heading is what has sparked the rise in retro gaming. People who don't want to sit down and watch a 20 minute cut scene and then play two hours and not make it out of the first area. With some older games, you can play for 20 minutes and clear an area at least.

[Taegin Roan]

I haven't watched this yet, but hopefully I'll remember too. But I love single player games. Right now I am more into them than multiplayer. Mostly because I don't have time to do much gaming, so when I do get to play I want to play something fun, and there is no guarantee I'll have fun with a multiplayer game.

[Darth Knox]

I think there are a lot of variables to take into account. Firstly, with the consumer bases, they are generally speaking to camps - hardcore gamers (those who will get titles as soon as they come out and will complete it to 100% asap) and casual gamers (those who will get a game eventually and will finish the main campaign, but are not concerned about finishing the game at 100%).

SFD, in general terms, the working  week (in the UK) is 35-37 hours, which gives people a lot more free time to game if they so desire (or go to the gym, watch tv/movies, spend time with family etc).

I am for sure a casual gamer, and with that in mind, I do prefer games that are slightly longer to complete (30 hours like Mass Effect or The Last of Us for instance) rather than 8-10 hours that can be completed over a weekend. Obviously, it depends on the type of game it is. I really like the Arkham games, Uncharted, Tomb Raider, God of War etc and like that those games have a variety of combat, puzzles, action and a great storyline.

In addition, replayability is a big thing for me. I like if I'm going to spend £25 on a game (used, as I refuse to spend £60 on a brand new game) that I can pop it in 6 months later and play through the whole campaign again and find it just as fun as the first time.

But that is juts my view and I know plenty of my friends who game have vastly different opinions. Additionally, I never play multiplayer modes in games. It just doesn't appeal to me. So i agree witht he video that maybe they should release single player campaigns separate from multi player stuff.

[Infinit01]

As a hardcore gamer, this is a sore subject for me at times since gamers should just play what they like, single player or multiplayer.  Thinking that single player games are dead is just as ridiculous as wondering why people enjoy multiplayer games.  Everyone has their own opinion along with likes and dislikes. 

I highly disagree with quite a bit of their points but I do agree with some.  My disagreement is that sure there are games that may not have the best storylines versus graphics, gameplay, game modes, etc. but that's not every new game that is out.  The guy in the middle said, "Anthem just doesn't look like a good game".  I disagree, how can you make a comment based on what something "looks" like rather than just playing it and getting your own opinion about it yourself?  Anthem itself has a really good game, storyline, character arc and new mechanics that are used in the gameplay. 

Sure, if you look at Call of Duty Black Ops 4 versus World at World or Modern Warfare, it falls rather short; however, people like myself and the wife play Call of Duty not for the storyline (since BO4 did away with it anyhow), but for the multiplayer itself and I'm not talking about the Battle Royal feature either.  Hell, Call of Duty Infinite Warfare was really bad and that's multiplayer as well. That's the one Call of Duty game that I will say the  developers tried to use modern day tech over storyline or good gaming content.  I'm sure there's more but this is just my example.

There are tons of games that are single player and although I do dabble more in the multiplayer games more, I still play the likes of God of War, SpiderMan, Need For Speed, Final Fantasy etc.  This is where I agree that more and more games are turning into multiplayer but gamers like the wife and myself who play 25 to 35 hours a week, play multiplayer against other players across the globe.  This is where the industry is going, server centers have been created all over the world just to house online game servers nowadays for multiplayer alone. 

I get it, most non-multiplayer gamers aren't into multiplayer games or modes.  With that said, gamers like myself who play multiplayer for the most part, still play the single player types of games; most of our focus is on multiplayer gaming since that's mainly our style of play.

Single Player Gaming isn't dead, lots of game makers realize that people like to be connected nowadays and "multiplayer" doesn't necessarily mean that we're going to be against each other.  Need for Speed Playback lets you play the single-player story mode by yourself but has a multiplayer mode where you can join the world and play with other players or against them.  It's an option but a different way of playing multiplayer unlike Call of Duty or Halo where the multiplayer is normally against someone.  Tom Clancy's Wildlands is another one that comes to mind in that you can play by yourself or do missions with 3 other players.  There's now a new mode where you can play multiplayer against other players to the death but that's if you want.

Single Player games aren't dead, it's not in the limelight like it used to be since the industry has since moved to multiplayer games since hardcore gamers want to stay connected and play the multiplayer games with others

End Rant

[scifidude79]

I'm definitely a casual gamer. Honestly, before I bought a HDMI cable for my original XBOX a couple weeks ago, I hadn't even played any games in a few weeks.

I agree with Infinite01 that you should play what appeals to you. There are so many different types of games because there are so many types of gamers. I personally won't buy a game that doesn't have a single player mode, but I also understand that others feel differently about it. If others enjoy a game, then more power to them. It just may not be for me.

I definitely play some longer games, particularly RPGs. Those and FPS are my favorite genres, though I also enjoy action games (Knox mentioned Arkham, I love those) and racing games, particularly arcade racing games. I also enjoy strategy and some simulation games. I'm not a fan of fighting games because I suck at them, and I only like a handful of sports games (mostly American Football.) Story and game play are important to me, graphics are secondary. But  I don't hate games for having awesome graphics, especially if they go with a good story and fun game play. Replayability is also big with me. I'm on my 30th play through of Knights of the Old Republic.

I also agree that it's weird to not like something you haven't played. I feel that way about movies and TV too, but I work with a guy who will hate movies he's never seen.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. As long as games keep including single player, which I feel it wouldn't make sense to cut off that portion of the gaming community and devs know it, I'll keep buying games. If not, I already own lots of games and can always buy more retro titles.

[Infinit01]

Thanks, SFD.  I agree, we all have different tastes in games, in the multiplayer realm, there are those like my wife and myself that love TDM (Team Deathmatch) while other players like battle royal, capture the flag, king of the hill, search and destroy, kill confirm, etc.  We just like the hardcore team deathmatch games ourselves and haven't even gotten into the battle royal stuff that's out now.

My point is that I agree, there are so many different types of gamers that play games with different gaming habits, technique, and methods.  I agree, there are just games that people aren't into but to dislike something or be negative about something before even trying it out doesn't make sense. 

I think that developers will continue to make single player games my friend, so no worries there. Look at the success of Spider-Man and God of War, they're not going to stop making games like those.  The wife got Kingdom Hearts 3 when it first came out last month or the month before and she loved it.  I watched her play it for a few hours and tried it a bit myself but I found out quickly that it wasn't for me.  This still doesn't change the fact that fans like my wife waited 14 years for this installment to come out.  If anything, game developers realize how important a single player game such as Kingdom Hearts is.

[scifidude79]

I'm still holding out (silm) hope for a single player sequel to Knights of the Old Republic II. I've spent many hours in SWTOR, but it's just not the same as a single player RPG for me. At least with that one, they release DLC that adds to the end of the game, though I liked their old leveling better. The system they use now gives you gobs of XP to rush you to level 50 and that end game content.

[Infinit01]

I don't blame you, SFD.  One of the single player games that I play time and time again is Need for Speed, all of them.  Lol.  The latest installment, PayBack is one of my favorites due to it's drifting mechanics.

[Darth Knox]

I find my tastes in games has changed over the years. Like most people I enjoy a mix of game genres, but have found myself drawn more to action adventure style ones, like the ones I mentioned before.

I personally do not like FPS so don't play them, even though I recogniseI am missing out on some great games. I just don't like FPS. Much prefer 3rd person. But that's my choice. I would never comment on/slag off FPS games as I've never played them.

If a game has a singe player mode that can also be turned into a multiplayer option, then you have the best of both worlds.

As for graphics vs gameplay, I am all for gameplay. Graphics in games is like CGI in movies; you expect a high standard but the blow your socks off wow factor has just gone as all graphics/cgi are of a high standard all the time. Bht when you take away the graphics, what is the story like? Is it fun/enjoyable/engaging/frustrating? Because that's why we continually game.

As someone who recently got DLCs for Mass Effect 3, and also The Last of Us DLC Left Behind, I have no problem with them, as long as they are done that well. I felt the last Uncharted game Lost Legacy felt more like a DLC than a main title.

[Taegin Roan]

I don't get to play much due to school, so I definitely qualify as a casual gamer. Right now, pretty much the only multiplayer FPS game I play is Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege. I enjoy CoD MW3 (best CoD IMO), but we only have it for the xBox, and I do the majority of my gaming on my PS4. I find myself playing games like Elder Scrolls Online (MMORPG), RuneScape (MMORPG), SWTOR (MMORPG)[these last two are both on my computer](if you can't tell, I like MMORPGs), Arkham Knight (just started playing it during Christmas break, and haven't played much since), LEGO games, Assassin's Creed (when I feel like trying to figure out how to play them again), Need For Speed Rivals (I think), Battlefield (I and V), Siege (because it is awesome, and one of my favorite games, and I can play it with my 4 friends) and I think that is about it. I've come to realize that I don't like Battle Royale games very much. I just like playing games where you actually make a progression, level up, unlock new things, etc.

[Darth Tepes]

I agree saying "Single Player is Dead" is a rather asinine statement to make.  Besides the great examples cited (GOW, Spider-Man) Devil May Cry 5 was just released (I will be doing a review soon) to acclaim and the best example...Skyrim.  Almost 8 years later people are not only still playing it....but it is still selling.  The large amount of content as well an a highly active modding community has kept the game relevant.  Personally, I guess I would be considered a casual.  I don't care for FPS and like Knox prefer third person view.  I have nothing against multiplayer but the few friends I have aren't big gamers nor do they have the same system I do.  I have had nothing but poor experience playing with people online though, so I will always prefer solo.