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...
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...