Single Player Gaming is a "Gimmick"

[Ethevion]

Major disagree. I like my Metal Gear series, Metroid Prime series, and many others as single player.

 

[AlanJohn]

I think this man is a troll, and he has succeeded flawlessly.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Single player, a gimmick?
That doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
Besides, a lot of games aren't even suited for multiplayer the way they are. I would love a 3D coop Zelda game, but they'd have to make some pretty big changes for that to work well, it just wouldn't be the same.

 

[DinohScene]

I grew up in the era of Single player games so I will continue to play SP games.
Multiplayer is nice but it lacks a good story line.

Besides Multiplayer these days is 99% about little kids trying to be the best and ruining the fun for others.
I'd rather play Multiplayer games with friends of which I know also like to have fun rather then to spend 10 minutes in a room filled with crying children.

 

[Vulpes Abnocto]

Single-Player is the one and only gimmick that interests me.
You kids can go play with each other.
I'll just be over here playing with myself.

 

[Deleted member 194275]

Many people still have sex in "single player mode". And sex is the older game for mankind, it is even older than Homo Sapiens itself.

 

[mthrnite]

I like multiplayer, if all players are on the same couch.

 

[Hadrian]

I don't see why this person has had so much press, his company hasn't done anything of any worth other than the usual "me too" mobile and social titles.

As this topic is a debate I'll chime in, if single player is a gimmick than how do you explain the sales and longevity of Mario titles? Apart from NSMB Wii these are pretty much solo titles and all surpass 5 million in sales on ONE platform. Super Mario 3D Land was released on a platforms early days and in less than a year has nearly racked up 6 million in sales and this game is 100% single player only. NSMB2 has only been out for a few months and is on the cusp of approaching 3 million sales despite being the most poorly rated (in terms of the the series, it still has better scores than other games) main Mario title since Sunshine.

Take a look at popular other franchises of this gen like Mass Effect, Uncharted, Elder Scrolls, Angry Birds, Far Cry, Half Life, Dragon Age, Brain Age, DKC Returns, Zelda, Fable, Professor Layton, God of War, GTA, Metal Gear Solid, Dead Space, Resident Evil, Batman Arkham, Assassins Creed, Fallout, Portal, Red Dead Redemption, Max Payne, Bioshock, pretty much most console RPG games. Yes some of these do have multiplayer/co-op modes but people pretty much only play them for the single player experience. Gamers love to get lost in these games because many offer great stories as well as gameplay. Myself, I never bother with multiplayer unless a person is in the room with me.

I'm not saying multiplayer titles aren't doing well, a lot make so much money but it's much harder for a game to make an impact that way when gamers are still playing a older title because it simply has more people who own it, which is why single player will always be at the forefront.

 

[finkmac]

Single Multi-Player requires an Internet connection, usually.
And most people have capped Internet plans.
Therefore, Single-Player is easier on your wallet.

 

[BORTZ]

Single player is mostly all I do...

 

[celcodioc]

I disagree. If something is boosting sales, it's online multiplayer.

Single-Player requires an Internet connection, usually.

Wait, what?

 

[Just Another Gamer]

I disagree. If something is boosting sales, it's online multiplayer.

Say that to all those RPGs that don't have multiplayer and sell well.

I love single player games mainly because it doesn't force you to be online and social and you can enjoy the game at your own pace instead of having to do things that others want you to do.

 

[dmace81]

LMAO! What a douchebag...

 

[exentro]

I couldn't disagree more. Put side by side there are a lot more totally single player games than multiplayer (in any form). So they we're al gimmicks, accesories for your favorite machine?

 

[MelodieOctavia]

I don't see why this person has had so much press, his company hasn't done anything of any worth other than the usual "me too" mobile and social titles.

As this topic is a debate I'll chime in, if single player is a gimmick than how do you explain the sales and longevity of Mario titles? Apart from NSMB Wii these are pretty much solo titles and all surpass 5 million in sales on ONE platform. Super Mario 3D Land was released on a platforms early days and in less than a year has nearly racked up 6 million in sales and this game is 100% single player only. NSMB2 has only been out for a few months and is on the cusp of approaching 3 million sales despite being the most poorly rated (in terms of the the series, it still has better scores than other games) main Mario title since Sunshine.

Take a look at popular other franchises of this gen like Mass Effect, Uncharted, Elder Scrolls, Angry Birds, Far Cry, Half Life, Dragon Age, Brain Age, DKC Returns, Zelda, Fable, Professor Layton, God of War, GTA, Metal Gear Solid, Dead Space, Resident Evil, Batman Arkham, Assassins Creed, Fallout, Portal, Red Dead Redemption, Max Payne, Bioshock, pretty much most console RPG games. Yes some of these do have multiplayer/co-op modes but people pretty much only play them for the single player experience. Gamers love to get lost in these games because many offer great stories as well as gameplay. Myself, I never bother with multiplayer unless a person is in the room with me.

I'm not saying multiplayer titles aren't doing well, a lot make so much money but it's much harder for a game to make an impact that way when gamers are still playing a older title because it simply has more people who own it, which is why single player will always be at the forefront.

I came in here to say the same thing. This guy is literally a nobody in the iOS scene, and an even bigger nobody in the Gaming scene as a whole. In fact I would go so far as to say that he is just trying to garner attention for his company so he can get his new upcoming MMO on the map.

 

[Hadrian]

In fact I would go so far as to say that he is just trying to garner attention for his company so he can get his new upcoming MMO on the map.

It seems to be the in thing at the moment for nobody developers. They either say something like "Nintendo should make iOS games" or "console gaming has no future". There once was a time when a developer had to make something really special to get heard.

 

[Mr. Prince]

Assassins Creed? Skyrim? TES in general? Fallout?

lol I forgot Skyrim, but I never played the rest.

 

[Fear Zoa]

Bethesda begs to differ. Single player is far from a gimmick, it allows you to do things that would otherwise be unbalanced in multiplayer. Want to give the player a ridiculously overpowered weapon? Sure you can do that. Developers can do anything they want without worrying about potential balance issues and that's great.

That said there are some games enchanted by multiplayer, Mercenaries 2 comes to mind (Blowing shit up with a friend is satisfying)

 

[The Catboy]

I am not a big fan of online multiplayer. I not saying it's a horrible idea, but I prefer to play video games with my friends, in the same room. I think online really takes the true social element out of multiplayer, that is being able to truly hangout with your friends and at the same time be gaming.

 

[Taleweaver]

Everyone should take a moment to read the comments on this twitter.

@closetgeekshow Fair enough. English is not my native language and this was an over-the-phone interview. I could have used another word​

@Shade_Shooter we don't disagree. I am not saying SP should not exist or that they are "not real games" - nothing stupid like that.​

@closetgeekshow I am not a native English speaker so I might have used a word that literally means what I was trying to say but is negative​

he also has mixed in tweets about his stance on single player gaming. on one hand he doesn't seem to grasp it and is willing to stand up for his beliefs. on the other he is making excuses for the interview and how people perceived the article. it says in plain english that he thinks single player games are a gimmick and then in his twitter he comments that he has no idea how they continue to exist.

Going by these remarks, it would be unfair to say "I disagree with him". As a non-English speaker, I know how easy it can be to just use a word that kinda sounds right but has a much worse connotation than expected. The fact that it's a phone interview makes this even worse (when calling in French, I make these kind of "errors" on pretty much a daily basis).

Anyhow...I play pretty much exclusively singleplayer games nowadays. They've always had their place in gaming history...and I doubt it'll change, no matter how connected to the 'net everyone is, nowadays.