Media Work- Are
single player games a dying cause?
Some would argue that single player games are slowly dying
out, with the idea of multiplayer online games becoming more of a big thing,
there are many reasons why this is to be an in this essay I will explain my opinions to why this is.
Firstly, single player games were the
originals in gaming history and they were directed at the player controlling
one character and going along the story, they were for the one person’s
enjoyment. A few examples of games that were single player would be the likes
of, super Mario, sonic the hedgehog, Assassins creed, God of war, ninja gaiden
an lots more, these games give the player a much better sense that they control
the game and a better sense of achievement when they beat it. The problem with
multiplayer and online games becoming more popular is there is so much more
competitiveness, some would argue this is a good thing an yes I agree it can
make playing a game much more interesting but does it not take away the idea of
beating a game on your own, where you can get more into the story? With the
growth of online and multiplayer games people seem to be enjoying them more as
the likes of casual gamers can socialise and talk with friends can be in/play
the same game together at the same time, in some respects this is great as the
likes of Fifa where you can play in pro clubs and all be in the same team in a
11 vs. 11 match, creating your team and your player, this makes the multiplayer
side of gaming really interesting and relaxing way to socialise and play with
friends. Another example of where the gaming experience is enhanced is the
likes of Borderlands, in this game although it is an option to play on your
own, it is much more fun to complete the game with your friends, you can free
roam around a map openly and work together to defeat harder enemies, whilst
also upgrading your characters abilities, it is multiplayer online games such
as these that are now threatening single player games as they are much more enjoyable
when more people can play.
Secondly, in my opinion, multiplayer games
sometimes take away the seriousness of a game as when playing a game with
friends you can sometimes mess around during the campaign an joke about, but
for hard-core gamers this would be a huge annoyance as they prefer to get on with
the story of the game and do as best as they can on it, this could be one
reason why single player games will survive in today’s market, hard-core gamers
will keep them going because of their interest in games and determination to
complete it. Another reason why some would argue that single player games are
still up there in the marketing industry would be the massive single player titles
that simple cannot be forgotten such as, the Assassins Creed franchise, Alan
Wake, Rachet and Clank, Skyrim, Oblivion, Deus Ex; Human Revolution, the
Fallout franchise, all these games are single player games that were very
popular an still are, people still enjoy a good game that they can play alone
and really get into, hence the massive list of titles that sold amazingly. Of course we all like to socialise with our
friends and online/multiplayer games are great for this but it could never better
in my opinion the idea of doing a game by yourself, for a start you get to
control how you play the game for example you may choose one path rather than
another and this means you can uncover the story at your own pace, whereas in a
group people may spoil it or take a path you didn’t want to take.
Furthermore,
another reason why I think multiplayer games are on the up and coming is
because they are beginning to attract a lot more of a wider audience as they
are much more sociable, people who maybe never pictured themselves playing
video games are now feeling much more comfortable playing multiplayer games because
if they are not too good at a game then single player games can be fairly
stressful, but on online games a person can really on their team-mates to help
them. Although having said that, sometimes online games can prove much more
frustrating than single player games as you may find a lot of people online are
better than you are so they may always win, this could make a person stop playing
a game, no one likes to loose after all.
In conclusion, when
it comes to do I think single player games are a dying cause, then I unfortunately
do think they are losing the battle compared to multiplayer games. Although being
someone who enjoys laying single player games, the idea of online multiplayer
games sounds too good as more people like to be sociable now a day and these are
great ways to keep the competitiveness of games yet have a good time playing
the games at the same time. Single player games cannot offer as much enjoyment
as online games can anymore as although playing on your own is good, playing as
a team is better and much more competitive.
JOE WESTALL
