Traditional Single Player Experience Gone in 3 Years?!

Stall

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You should probably read <url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-08-16-single-player-only-games-gone-in-3-years>this before you post.

An interesting look at the prospects of gaming in the near future. This Sony analyst's core argument here is that because of the ever increasing connectivity between people, a "true" (or traditional) single player campaign will be effectively phased out. Instead, it will be replaced with something similar to what we saw in Demons Souls: a traditional single player experience is merged to some extent with a multiplayer experience, thus enchaining the core single player experience and making use of this aforementioned connectivity. Basically, because of the social media boom and the prospect that more and more of us are constantly connected to the net, we will begin to see the single player experience metamorphose to reflect these changes in our culture and society.

Intriguingly, this doesn't just seem to be the random musings of a crazy analyst. This argument is actually reinforced up by a recent move by Nintendo, where they patented the term "Massively Single Player," which is a genre where your single player experience is enhanced and changed by others playing the same game. So, two of the three "major" players, Sony and Nintendo, both seem to believe that the current single player model is well due for some degree of revolution. If you think about it, it would make sense: the overall single player experience has mostly remained constant throughout the history of gaming, so it only seems natural that some degree of change will occur.

So, in the age of Facebook, social media, and constant connectivity, is what we know as the traditional single player experience going to become an anachronism? Even further, if this does actually happen, will it be a good thing? Is what we perceive as a true single player campaign well due for change, revolution, and innovation? Or should we not fix what is not broken, and not tamper with a formula that clearly has been working for almost 40 years now (depending on what you define as the first video game)?

EDIT: Changed the title... sometimes I think too highly of the internet...
 

Alex Cowan

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Didn't Valve recently say something about Portal 2 being the last 'truly single player' game they were going to make? I have a feeling that this is what they were talking about. I have mixed opinions, but I feel that a story can better be told in isolation to the world around it, and as such, story driven games may suffer - the use of social media seems to break the fourth wall, as it were.
 

werty10089

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never did enjoy the aspect of multiplayer. If something doesn't have a good story, I'll stick to books.
 

KarlMonster

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Well, there is no difference between now and their target date, because I will continue to NOT be buying their games.
"I believe the traditional single-player game experience will be gone in three years," Cerny told an audience at a behind-closed door, Sony-organised panel discussion on the future of video games, attended by Eurogamer, this evening.
It should be noted that this was not a public forum. I think it was just a tit-wank (pardon my French) where Sony has already decided what they are going to do. There is zero mention of polling, or even asking what gamers actually wanted to play. I presume that means that Sony has decided to fail in a new direction.

I guess they haven't noticed the negative reviews that co-op-focused games have gotten recently.
 

SplashyAxis

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If this the case then I guess the number of new games I buy per year will drop significantly. I'm not much of a social gamer.
 

AzureRaven

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believer258 said:
I don't think single player will ever completely go away. You can ramble and muse on it all you want, but there's a fairly large market of people that still like single player games.

Also, do I need to point out all the praise that Mass Effect 2, Oblivion, Saints Row 2, GTA IV, Red Dead Redemption, Bioshock, Just Cause 2, Dead Space, and several other games this generation have gotten and all of whom have fairly devoted fanbases? Should I point out the scores some of those games have gotten on several review sites?

If you think single player is leaving, think again. It might lose its prevalence but I think it's here to stay. Too many people prefer it, and you can only have so many multiplayer games before people lose interest.

Besides, if I don't want other players in my single player campaign, can't I just disconnect it?
Dreiko said:
Maybe in the US, Japan won't stop making Jrpgs in 3 years...and that's my main thing.
Basically, these two. There are still way too many companies making very solid single player games that are an absolute blast to play. JRPGs especially will keep the trend going. Demons Souls is an exception, and I don't think the model works well with all single player games. Plus, as believer said...all you have to do is cut out your connection.
 

Aris Khandr

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I seriously doubt that the RPG genre is going anywhere. Especially not in so short a time period.
 

Stall

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I seem to see a lot of people just responding based on the title. From how I am reading this, the analyst is saying that what we KNOW as single player games will effectively be dead in three years, but instead it will be replaced with a single player experience that is enhanced through connectivity and socialization with other players to some extent. If you played Demons Souls, then you'll understand the point the analyst is trying to make perfectly. He isn't implying games will only be multiplayer or co-op, but games where the single player campaign is mixed with other players. It won't quite be single player, but it won't quite be multiplayer... the analyst actually says that there isn't a term yet for this sort of game.

Alex Cowan said:
Didn't Valve recently say something about Portal 2 being the last 'truly single player' game they were going to make? I have a feeling that this is what they were talking about. I have mixed opinions, but I feel that a story can better be told in isolation to the world around it, and as such, story driven games may suffer - the use of social media seems to break the fourth wall, as it were.
I had totally forgotten about that announcement by Valve... you could be absolutely correct on that.

And I don't think that the overall story of a game will be impacted. I think we will just begin to see different ways to tell a game's story: the already mentioned Demons Souls actually had a very interesting way to tell its story that worked out well with its innovations. That, or we might see the changes done in more subtle ways: imagine a single player RPG with the in-game economy being entirely online (you could even buy items previous players sold to a vendor), or party members, enemies, or bosses would move away from being static in appearance and build, but instead look like and be built like other PCs playing the game. Imagine playing Mass Effect where the guy you are blasting looks like your friend's Shepard, for example (shitty analogy... don't put much thought in it).
 

Periodic

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Maybe if it wasn't a Sony analyst saying that games will all become like the Playstation 3 exclusive Demon's Souls I would put more stock in it.

That people are so resistant to the idea should show how idiotic this idea is. Fact is, a lot of gamers are introverts. Not everyone wants to be connected to thousands of people 24/7.
 

Clive Howlitzer

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I already can't stand as it is, it will be horrible when it gets even worse. Oh well, that's the wave of the future.
 

dave1004

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Oh noooo. That's really not cool. I have a completely shittily limited internet connection where I live, and the maximum usage is 200 MB/day. Plus, the DL speed is only 0.35, and the ping is over 700 (Used Speedtets.)

This really would suck, because the only games I've played multiplayer, was a few minutes of L4D and a bit of minecraft. I hate multiplayer >)>.
 

dalek sec

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SplashyAxis said:
If this the case then I guess the number of new games I buy per year will drop significantly. I'm not much of a social gamer.
Same here, I'm not a very social gamer myself and I never player a multiplayer game that I can't reach over and slap the other player for doing something dumb.

Thought honestly I highly doubt the single player game mode is gonna die anytime soon but that's just me. If it does happen, I still have a crapload of games that I can still play without having other people bugging me. :D
 

Periodic

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Stall said:
or party members would move away from being static in appearance and build, but instead look like and be built like other PCs playing the game.
Oh because that's just what we need. Games full of NPCs with purple mohawks and giant fish lips.

Seriously. Nothing about any of this sounds like it will add anything of value to the games. It just seems like needless gimmicks and desperate attempts to try to innovate. And by innovate I mean "them facebooks is popular now, how can we cram that into our game"?