Home Gaming Single player games aren’t dead

Single player games aren’t dead

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atentdead

I’ve always preferred my games to be pure, single-player escapism. Online multiplayer has seldom appealed to me; if I wanted to listen to a bunch of whiney children I’d let my kids out of the basement. Like many of you, I’ve been a little worried about publishers’ insistence on tacking multiplayer or social elements on to everything, perhaps signalling the death of the single player experience. Dishonored developer Arkane Studios believes that death knell to be ringing a little prematurely. .

“What people say each cycle is, ‘Fill-in-the-blank is the new thing,’” Arkane’s Harvey Smith told GamesIndustry.

“If you’re old enough, you remember when it was live-action video games. At another point it was MMOs. At another it was social games. At another it was multiplayer shooters.

“None of those things are bad; they’re all great. But what the reality seems to be is we keep adding types of games and finding new player groups for those. The market seems to be expanding.”

Smith posits that just because people are playing the new thing, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t likely to play the old thing; just because people are pouring hours in to COD multiplayer, that doesn’t mean those same gamers won’t play something like Skyrim.

“Every time someone announces the death of the single-player game, something like The Sims or BioShock Infinite comes along and does different things well. So far we haven’t capped out.

“It’s not like DOTA fans are buying DOTA and not playing Skyrim, or buying Dishonored and therefore not buying Madden. I think there’s a bunch of different audience types and we haven’t even hit the limit yet.”

I’m convinced that there will always be a market for great single player games, just as there will always be a place for competitive online titles; one needn’t replace the other.

Last Updated: March 26, 2013

48 Comments

  1. Admiral Chief Erwin

    March 26, 2013 at 12:32

    Long live SP. The only MP I play is L4D and L4D2

    Reply

  2. Dizzy Bear

    March 26, 2013 at 12:35

    Geoff has kids 0_o

    Reply

    • Sir Captain Rincethis

      March 26, 2013 at 12:48

      If something that grew out of a pot plant and requires helium isotopes every hour, then yes, he has…

      Reply

      • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

        March 26, 2013 at 13:11

        Pumpkin Patch.. ooo ooo Pumpkin Patch…

        Reply

    • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

      March 26, 2013 at 12:49

      Yes.. technically his Sims 3 family is… “real”. So yes… he has kids… #ExistentiallyTim

      Reply

    • Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim

      March 26, 2013 at 12:58

      I have an entire army of them.

      Reply

      • umar bastra

        March 26, 2013 at 13:00

        Is the basement at least a comfy environment for them?

        Reply

      • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

        March 26, 2013 at 13:12

        I have a whole family made out of paper mache…. 😀

        Reply

    • HvR

      March 26, 2013 at 14:09

      I heard they morphed out of his missing chin pubes.

      Reply

  3. Uberutang

    March 26, 2013 at 12:37

    Love the header. 😛

    Reply

    • Brady miaau

      March 26, 2013 at 14:04

      seconded

      Granny is awesome

      Reply

  4. Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

    March 26, 2013 at 12:37

    They’re not dead.. they’re resting…

    Reply

  5. Scoobaz

    March 26, 2013 at 12:40

    Love the SP immersion experience, getting lost in the digital world of whatever game it is I am playing. Please please please DO NOT go down the road of always online drm for a SINGLE PLAYER GAME!!

    Reply

  6. Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

    March 26, 2013 at 12:43

    Single player all the way! SP FTW!!!!

    Reply

  7. Anon A Mouse

    March 26, 2013 at 12:43

    Yet Diablo 3 and SimCity are both branded single player but are far from it. It’s more a social interaction experience parading as single player, and that is not how I want my SP to be served.

    Reply

  8. Sir Captain Rincethis

    March 26, 2013 at 12:44

    Hear hear man. Games are there for a reason, escapism. And if you are someone who needs your folks to tie wors around your neck to get the neighbourhood CoD player to play with you, then you may want, nay NEED, single player. I really don’t see it ever dying!

    Reply

  9. OVG

    March 26, 2013 at 12:49

    VIVA THE SP GAME

    Now would you KINDLY play BIOSHOCK 3 BABY!!!

    Reply

    • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

      March 26, 2013 at 12:50

      OVG, you old soft sock… you missed out on some classic Bobby Kotick/Early Jim Lenoir trolling… 🙁 Sadly, now I’m spent and need to recharge my batteries with some Earl Grey.

      Reply

      • OVG

        March 26, 2013 at 13:04

        Have some Red Bush with a sprinkle of Dassie poop and be a real Columbian.

        Reply

        • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

          March 26, 2013 at 13:08

          Sir, you need to change your jobs, and return to the glory of LG’s resident crazy old codger. Rincethis and I can’t hold your jockstrap at unadulterated fury and craziness.

          Maybe quit your job, and move in with Rincey… let him pay the bills while you troll for Awesome-effect.

          Reply

      • Sir Captain Rincethis

        March 26, 2013 at 13:04

        It is a sad, ever since @jasoncourt0:disqus ‘s manager shortened the chain, we rarely hear his RAGE.

        Reply

    • TechniKyle

      March 26, 2013 at 13:01

      Would you KINDLY buy me one for PS3? Spanks Honey Boo Boo Child! XD

      Reply

  10. TechniKyle

    March 26, 2013 at 12:53

    When I was young
    I never needed anyone
    And playing games was just for fun
    Those days are gone

    Playin’ alone
    I think of all the games I’ve owned
    When I put on the game at home
    I was all alone

    All by myself
    Don’t wanna play
    All by myself
    Anymore

    Hard to be sure
    Sometimes I feel so insecure
    Hated not being called fag or gay or more
    Multiplayer was my cure

    All by myself
    Don’t wanna play
    All by myself
    Anymore

    All by myself
    Don’t wanna play
    All by myself
    Anymore

    When I was young
    I never needed any talent
    And playing COD was just for fun
    Those days are gone

    All by myself
    Don’t wanna play
    All by myself
    ANYMOOOOOOOORE!!!!!

    Reply

    • OVG

      March 26, 2013 at 13:02

      Ode of the week 🙂

      Reply

    • Sir Captain Rincethis

      March 26, 2013 at 13:03

      *Slow clap. Bloody marvellous!

      Reply

    • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

      March 26, 2013 at 13:08

      Post of the Week! Nay Post of the Month!

      Reply

    • FoxOneZA

      March 26, 2013 at 13:10

      Whitney x Gamer

      Reply

    • umar bastra

      March 26, 2013 at 13:13

      Lovely stuff!!

      Reply

    • Anon A Mouse

      March 26, 2013 at 13:24

      This is man tears rolling down my cheek and I’m chopping onions….. Shut UP!!!

      Reply

  11. umar bastra

    March 26, 2013 at 12:55

    You don’t always want to play with other people and the internet is becoming obese with rude trolls and foul mouthed, pre-teen, daddy buys me everything, I’m gangster with me side brushed hairstyle, Lil wayne makes the best music ever, YMCMB douche bag kids … some times, all we want is to relax, load up a single player game (WHENEVER WE WANT TO -no internet required- ) and enjoy a game alone ….

    Reply

  12. TriangularRoom

    March 26, 2013 at 13:25

    I even play Guild Wars 2 like it’s a single player game. LONG LIVE SINGLE PLAYER!!

    Reply

  13. Xelus

    March 26, 2013 at 13:31

    Somehow, sometimes I wonder if A.I. isn’t closer to human intellect, the things i’ve seen retard players do in multiplayer makes A.I. look like veterans… I still prefer singleplayer over multiplayer…

    Reply

  14. Kromas

    March 26, 2013 at 13:43

    Dota fans are buying Dota. That made me lol as I get another email from steam saying Ive got 5 more copies to give away.

    Reply

    • Matthew Figueira

      March 26, 2013 at 13:49

      Hey I bought my dota 2 key back when invites were scarce 😛 It came with some shiny items too! Now I have about 15 beta keys or so xD

      Reply

  15. silverscorpio

    March 26, 2013 at 14:35

    I also do not really play multiplayer and do not like this social trend. There is a place for it in gaming but it must not dominate the experience. It however concern me when publishers go out of their way to make a crappy single player game and blast all the money on the multiplayer aspect thereof hoping that one day they can cut out singleplayer games and only make multiplayer games because it is cheaper for them.

    Reply

    • Eric Viljoen

      March 26, 2013 at 15:02

      I dont mind the social element. I do, however, want to have a choice on whether I want to use it or not. XCOM: Enemy Unknown was a single player game. But I could choose to play multiplayer as well. The two didn’t have anything to do with each other however. No one knew what happened in my single player campaigns

      Reply

  16. WernerE

    March 26, 2013 at 16:21

    Wait… There is Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax Lego? What kind of Discworld Wizardry is this?!

    Reply

  17. matthurstrsa

    March 28, 2013 at 07:16

    SP for me as well! Hear hear! We should all lan and play SP games together 🙂

    Reply

  18. Koko

    April 2, 2013 at 07:57

    Where can I get those Discworld lego’s?!

    Reply

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