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[Shadowstar39]

I use gaming as a fun time , and escape from life.
Its also a means to play D&D style games without other people, ala rpgs or scenario/time period games like the game Thief or Assassins Creed.

I used to play Quake 3 and UT back in the day with friends over at a buddies apartment. He had a Xeon server and 10 pcs lanned together.
We would smoke a J and zone out to Quake 3. Fun times, but that didn't last long as his wife cheated and divorced him. I played multiplayer online some since then.
Mostly Battlefield Vietnam, BF2, Battlefront on psp, Killzone2 and resistance 2 on ps3, warhawk on ps3, socom c on ps3, mag cod 4, mw2, bf4 on ps4.
Somewhere along the line those games stopped working for me. They introduced characters and spiky purple hair, mtx and all sorts of crap i didn't care for.
Cod ww2 and bf1 was a return to form and i played those for a bit, but then stopped.

Haven't really dug into mp since. I play couch co-op with gf like smash , diablo 3, wii-sports, etc...

Those are few in far between though. I would rather play single player or couch co-op then online mp.

I don't want mp mmos to invade single player.
I don't want seeing twitter or resetera jerk types in my games.

I love a good rpg going back to the gold box games and might and magic. I like strategy games like civ. I like going against a cpu.
I love that I can play so many single player games on switch, on the go.

My one friend is the opposite of me. He is a network admin and now all he plays is multiplayer. Especially mmos or survival games. He will find unofficial servers and make them.
I don't find this fun. As they get on and work together but i don't have time to play like they do. I get on and half the outpost is already made.
To me thats not fun. I want to build myself. I want to work for stuff. They run through wow levels to get to end level "where the real game begins" they say.
What about the first part of the game? Thats why i played everquest back in the day, not to rush to max level. I care about the journey not the destination in gaming.
I think our philosophies are different.

My favorite single player games are AC2 , Baldurs gate, Thief, Kotor, Morrowind, Gothic, Ultima Underworld, Might and magic 4 -6, Homm3, Civ4, city skylines, dark souls 1, nioh, re2, dq11, pool of radiance, ff5, ff6, ff8, Vagrant story, Vandal hearts 1/2, suikoden 1/2, ff tactics, all the castlvania games, Shiren wanderer, dungeon crawl stone soup, and tons of roguelikes.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

AI is less of a deciding factor in the types of games I play, there are times when sophisticated AI pays off, just as there are ones where simple AI is best.

So if there are times when simple AI pays off, and there are times when advanced AI pays off, do you cede there could be times when human behavior pays off?

Clever, complex level design is my jam, which is something developers tend to avoid in the modern era, even more so when developing online games.

"Speed is my jam and my horse runs like the wind. I hear these modern automobiles only go 7 mph." - Someone in 1888

Car manufacturers: "Let's get to work."
Game developers: "Let's get to work."

The thing I keep going back to are Bobby Kotick types looking at those two pictures in the OP and saying "What if we did a Fortnite but it was bigger and made more money?"

How does one make a bigger Fortnite? You start by removing the roadblocks found in the OP.

 

[JeffG]

Missing an option for Old Fartism

a) Eyes are not as good anymore
b) reactions are slower
c) give a shit feeling doesn't exist

I do like PvE with a group of friends (for example Halo Warzone)

 

[RexAnglo]

I prefer single player games because they usually have a story, I tend to enjoy story driven experiences.

 

[MetalRain]

I wouldn't mind multiplayer, but being singleplayer allows game to be more complex and varied, there is no need to wait for other players and there is no limits how "unfair" game can be or how I can customize my experience.

Multiplayer games tend to be very structured so that every player has similar options. There are some more asymmetric games like Space Station 13 which are quite interesting, but then other aspects like time usage and waiting are more pronounced.

 

[Bragr]

Clever, complex level design is my jam, which is something developers tend to avoid in the modern era

What? games in the past were made by 3 guys out of college, even a kid could make good 2D levels.

 

[TLZ]

I'm far more interested in a good story and exploration when I play. I'm also a very anti-social gamer; I play games to get away from people. When I want to socialize with friends, I do it in real life.

I'd also like to add, I like taking my sweet time in games. I don't like being rushed.

 

[Shadowstar39]

To have fun? What a completely bizarre statement. So playing a single player game is not wasting time but a multi-player is?

To this day I play UT 99, UT 2004, Quake 3. Sometimes online, sometimes single player with the bots. Loads and loads of fun that is not provided in any other game.

I also love playing single player games too. Yes, for the story, but also because of the fun factor. Because that is the ultimate deciding factor for me to continue to keep playing. If it is not enjoyable to play, no matter how good the story is, it's not worth playing.

Wait ut99, ut2004 , and quake 3 still have players?

Those I would love to jump back into for nostalgia, but never bothered due to trying ut2004 a few years back and it being empty. Ghost town.

 

[elcapitano]

In general I way prefer single player games. They have a more longer lasting impact on me and somehow it feels like a more worthwhile use of time.

But every know and again I love multiplayer games

Rocket league might be my most played game of all time. I have out ungodly hours into that. Finally stopped playin in the last year but that's more down to the fact I didn't have the time to stay as good as I used to be.


Also playing PUBG with my friends was some of the best times I've ever had in gaming.

Multiplayer often feels more generic but when they get it right it's magic.

Though the same can be said for single player. Very few are actually brilliant or anything. Ghost for me was only quite good at best. Nothing to worry home about.

It's only your Red Dead, God of War, TLOU 1&2, Bloodborne and obviously a few others that I consider amazing.

Most fall below that category for me

 

[Neff]

do you cede there could be times when human behavior pays off?

Yes, in fighting games, like I said.

What? games in the past were made by 3 guys out of college, even a kid could make good 2D levels.

And yet, there are countless examples of bland level design in modern 2D games.

 

[ResurrectedContrarian]

I love moving at my own pace in a simulated world. I might walk slowly to admire the visuals, mess around with some crazy physics idea for a while (eg. trying to perfectly launch a tree in BOTW), or try to deliberately approach a situation in an unusual way without any regard to proving something competitively.

I love the idea of stepping into another pocket universe in the game. The last thing I want to see there is real people who only remind me of the real world because I know it's some random jerk sitting in his own living room.

Multiplayer is repetitive as hell. It's like RPG grinding, but where the NPCs are even more annoying than any AI could create. Why would that be enjoyable?

Online-first games have also led to the worst degradation of the medium. Everything is a service, with pointless "seasons" and events, constant patches, and constant annoyance.

Multiplayer is sometimes nice locally, with people in the same room. Otherwise, screw it.

 

[Bragr]

And yet, there are countless examples of bland level design in modern 2D games.

?

Point is, games have gotten more complex, not less.

 

[Neff]

?

Point is, games have gotten more complex, not less.

I'm not talking about games in general, nor is this point relevant.

But for what it's worth, modern level design has simply gotten bigger, not necessarily more complex.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

I love moving at my own pace in a simulated world.

This is far and away the most frequent comment found in this thread. This phrase pops up at least a dozen times by different members.

I, a multiplayer centric gamer, value this aspect in my games as well.

Ghost Recon, Hitman, MGSV are some of my favorite single player games because I can take my time, observe the simulation, and make choices without being rushed. (Actually, I find these games diminish once stealth is broken and they turn into action games).

Old multiplayer games (analogous to sports) like League of Legends, traditional Call of Duty, Rocket League...all punish the player for taking their time. You need to produce in order to compete.

New multiplayer (analogous to The Heroes Journey) caters to this playstyle exponentially better. I can sit in a tree in Fortnite for 5 minutes straight, wait for a headshot, and get game ending loot...all due to patience.

Fortnite, which might suck to you, lucked into this playstyle. Designers are going to appeal to gamers like us more and more in these types of games.

 

[Danjin44]

I can sit in a tree in Fortnite for 5 minutes straight, wait for a headshot, and get game ending loot...all due to patience.

??? I dont think thats what people meant when they say they want to take their time in game world.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

??? I dont think thats what people meant when they say they want to take their time in game world.

Not for everyone, but it's certainly an example of taking one's time.

It's really the push for productivity vs giving the players option of choice + pace.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Hopefully a legit necro bump. Other people are starting to notice the shift...

 

[Hawk The Slayer]

Because the best games are all single player or at least mainly single player with a multiplayer mode on the side not the other way around.

Fallout games
Elder Scroll games
Half Life games
Resident Evil games
Warcraft games
StarCraft games
Witcher games
Grand Theft Auto games
Zelda games
Halo games


All either single player or are hybrids.

Although World of Warcraft is probably the best pure multiplayer game out there so far.

 

[SoloCamo]

Missing an option for Old Fartism

a) Eyes are not as good anymore
b) reactions are slower
c) give a shit feeling doesn't exist

I do like PvE with a group of friends (for example Halo Warzone)

This x1000. I play games to relax, and I still do play games like Battlefield and other shooters. I've just had to accept the fact that I peaked a long time ago and play just to have fun. On the bright side I'm never doing horrible, but it's clear I'm not capable of what I used to be.

Grew up with games like UT99 / CS 1.6 so competitive shooters flow through my blood but the new franchises are just too much for me and no longer fun simply because I have other priorities, like wasting my time on Forza Horizon 5's weekly unlocks.

That said, I'll gladly spend hours in any elder scrolls game, especially Morrowind.

 

[Labadal]

Just leave me alone, and let me play at my pace.

 

[Danjin44]

I already reply to this thread but I will say it again, unlike most people I don't play games to socialize with people, already do plenty of that with my family, friends and coworkers.

I play games enjoy my me time and my favourite hobby, I don't want other people get in my way of that.

 

[Skywarp]

There is a clear ending to single player. The multiplayer games are way more addictive and sometimes life ruining.

 

[Radical_3d]

Hopefully a legit necro bump.

Well…

I think Arc raiders has illustrated how players are turning away from competitive games in lieu of something more casual, cooperative, and social.

This sound like a retarded take to me but thanks to this necrobump I was able to watch this:

So yes, totally justified so we can have more context on your takes for us who missed this gem.

Spoiler: So casual!

 

[Danjin44]

There is a clear ending to single player. The multiplayer games are way more addictive and sometimes life ruining.

That's one of the reason why I like SP games, I don't like "forever" games, I like games with clear conclusion.

 

[LordCBH]

It's not like I don't play some online games. I like Destiny, I am looking forward to The Division 3 if that ever gets off the ground.

But at the same time I def prefer tight, focused story campaigns, as well as nice relaxing games too. I haven't gotten an actual online game that's given me the same hit as say Balder's Gate, Animal Crossing, or a Persona, but I'm also not expecting them to do that, as I expect a different experience when I do sit down and do some online play.

 

[TintoConCasera]

Multiplayer can be a fun pass time but imo none of them come close to the sort of experiences you can get from single-player games: beating a hard challenge, exploring some cool place and finding out all about it's secrets (with actual level design), experiencing the story of the game from start to end. All the best games are single-player, and there's a reason for that.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

There is a clear ending to single player. The multiplayer games are way more addictive and sometimes life ruining.

I'm a big critic of single player but definitely don't see a "clear end". It'll keep receding in the direction it's been going (indie & AA) but it's hard to see what happens 10+ years from now. AI could reshake the paradigm up once it's mature enough and the industry embraces it.

 

[xVodevil]

Pretty straight forward, I grew up with SP games so I like them. Looking back my early PC games Half Life or RE2 with it's story progression was so much fun, and as the whole of gaming grew it just got better and better with the evolution of the cinematic approach.
Later my favorite experiences were always jumping in a new game on Friday afternoon and finish it up by the end of the weekend. Well crafted games are maybe the best form of storytelling.
And the immersion, take horror games, I won't get scared watching a movie, but when you have to take each step forward that's and entirely different experience.

 

[An Corp]

I've been in online multiplayer since the mid-90s and it's honestly depressing how far it's fallen.

Back then it was pure chaos and magic. Dialing into a friend's IP just to frag in a Doom deathmatch or race in Need for Speed… that felt special. You had to WORK for it with no matchmaking, no lobbies, just raw connection and trash talk over the phone or in-game chat. Then Ultima Online dropped and holy hell, it wasn't even a game anymore — it was a whole virtual life. Stealing from people, building houses, running guilds, poisoning bread, getting murdered by some griefer… immersion on a level nothing today touches. Same energy with EverQuest, Asheron's Call, early WoW. You lived there, you weren't just grinding stats or downing bosses for a checklist.


Even the arena shooters and older console multiplayer had soul: Halo LAN parties, early CoD lobbies full of trash talk and friends just hanging out, Gears horde mode where it was about clutch plays and laughing at each other. Skill mattered, vibes mattered, nobody was forcing you to log in daily. But you still did because it was amazing just being what it was, a fun game.


Now? Everything's antisocial as all hell. It's all daily quests, battle passes, FOMO timers, min/maxing meta builds, $25 skins, timelock progression. People don't talk anymore…voice chat is dead, text is mostly spam, and everyone's just grinding for the next dopamine hit so they can buy more crap in the item shop. The "multiplayer" part feels tacked on to sell microtransactions. It's exhausting, joyless, and frankly, kinda pathetic.


So I said screw this noise. I quit. The new stuff just isn't fun anymore, it's just work disguised as play and honestly my career job is more enjoyable grind than most the slop in the industry.

These days, if I want multiplayer, I fire up the old stuff with the die-hard communities still kicking: original Halo, old CoD 4, UT2004, turtleWoW even some EQ private servers. The lobbies are smaller, older crowd, but the energy is 1000x better… actual banter, no corporate leash, just pure fun like it used to be.

Otherwise I'm sticking to solid single-player experiences, usually AA or indie titles that actually respect my time and don't try to own my soul.

 

[Deerock71]

I'm actually enjoying the narrative and the stories since I've been aging. Tell me a good story.

 

[DenimDevil]

I play games for escapism. I don't want real people pissing in the punch bowl.

 

[Big-G]

1. Chill gaming experience
2. More immersive
3. I can play at my own pace and pause when I want to

 

[Crayon]

The only MP I do is fg's. Very occasionally an f2p shooter with friends I did a good stint in Warframe a few weeks back, but even that was 90% solo.

I left off "prefer story', but I do often like that and general atmosphere is big to me.

 

[videogamedude]

Single player is balanced for fun.
Multiplayer is balanced against other players.

it's that simple... I do like multiplayer games, but they can be tedious and grindy

 

[Skywarp]

I'm a big critic of single player but definitely don't see a "clear end". It'll keep receding in the direction it's been going (indie & AA) but it's hard to see what happens 10+ years from now. AI could reshake the paradigm up once it's mature enough and the industry embraces it.

I didn't mean it like that. I meant that you can beat single player games and be done with it.

 

[K' Dash]

Husband, dad of two and a demanding job.

 

[Zacfoldor]

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Where is the option for:

Because they make Men_in_Boxes sad?

And none of you option nails my sentiment around MP games:

They can't have have a strong, powerful successfull, meaningful ending. (Narrativley and mechanically-systems wise)

 

[Cyberpunkd]

This. In an ultra connected world people try to convince themselves their brains somehow mega revolved in 20 years, but they didn't. Overstimulated brain in a sad, depressed brain, like a carthorse that is working all the time. It needs quiet time, it needs to take things slow in order to work correctly. Single player games provide that.

 

[Bernardougf]

Im not 12 anymore ...


Jk...


Or am i ...

 

[nikos]

I don't.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Where is the option for:

Because they make Men_in_Boxes sad?

And none of you option nails my sentiment around MP games:

They can't have have a strong, powerful successfull, meaningful ending. (Narrativley and mechanically-systems wise)

Option 3: Story

Passive narrative? You're most likely correct.
Mechanics and systems wise? Buckle up.

 

[Hydroxy]

1. Because I suck at MP ganes
2. There's very few MP games that appeal to me
3. I just like story in my games

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Option 3: Story

No necessary, if the game has poor mechanics/systems or gameplay. Bye-bye. The "story" can be a mere excuse but it has to be well executed.

 

[dgproject]

I am not really into competitive games. For me gaming is mainly for relaxation, and most of the time these types of games are single player.

Also I like completion (like clearing dungeons in jrpg or getting all routes in visual novel), and again, mainly single player games that offer those experiences.

I do enjoy some multi-player games, like Gran Turismo, wii sports, and animal crossing. But again, those give relaxation experience for me, not competitive.

 

[clarky]

And none of you option nails my sentiment around MP games:

They can't have have a strong, powerful successfull, meaningful ending. (Narrativley and mechanically-systems wise)

What if I don't want an ending?

Personally the moments I remember are mostly created by multiplayer interactions. Be that besting my bother or pals at Pro evo, Halo, Mario Kart and Goldeneye back in the day right up to now in Arc Raiders.

Has to be a very special kind of single player game to hold my attention through to the end. Ninja Gaiden 1+2 spring to mind.

Opinions and preferences though and all that.

3. I just like story in my games

Outside of a handful of RPG's and a few outliers, I find videogame storytelling insanely bad.

 

[Dice]

Most don't try to be interesting at all outside of competition. So if you don't give a single fuck about competitiveness they are the most boring thing in the world.

But what about co-op? Most co-op has people taking it way too fucking seriously just running through doing no-life grinding. They don't know how to stop and smell the roses or they already did 5000hrs ago and you, a normal person, are annoying to them because the game is new to you.

Thus, multiplayer is only fun with friends who know how to chill tf out. However, most friends like that are normal people who don't want to bother scheduling a time between your different lives to play a particular game together.

If you ever do find someone like that, it is very likely that neither of you want to play the chosen game without the other, which would make things unbalanced, so you have this game sitting around dedicated to the specific purpose of the time you play together, and it doesn't necessarily always scratch the particular gaming itch either of you have when you can play together.

So pretty much the only way for multiplayer to be fun is with someone you live with or if you are all professional streamers and can just mess around trying out different games together.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

What if I don't want an ending?

Personally the moments I remember are mostly created by multiplayer interactions. Be that besting my bother or pals at Pro evo, Halo, Mario Kart and Goldeneye back in the day right up to now in Arc Raiders.

Has to be a very special kind of single player game to hold my attention through to the end.

Opinions and preferences though and all that.

MY sentiment

But I also have moments I remember playing single player games with my buddy. We played silent hill 2 from star to finish in one day for example.

Regarding the ending.... life ends, the ending gives it meaning.

I would feel like chump investing 10+ years in some game that becomes shit and my only justification to keep playing is the sunken cots fallacy. Or "I only play it because my friends play it too"

 

[dgproject]

Most don't try to be interesting at all outside of competition. So if you don't give a single fuck about competitiveness they are the most boring thing in the world.

But what about co-op? Most co-op has people taking it way too fucking seriously just running through doing no-life grinding. They don't know how to stop and smell the roses or they already did 5000hrs ago and you, a normal person, are annoying to them because the game is new to you.

Thus, multiplayer is only fun with friends who know how to chill tf out. However, most friends like that are normal people who don't want to bother scheduling a time between your different lives to play a particular game together.

If you ever do find someone like that, it is very likely that neither of you want to play the chosen game without the other, which would make things unbalanced, so you have this game sitting around dedicated to the specific purpose of the time you play together, and it doesn't necessarily always scratch the particular gaming itch either of you have when you can play together.

So pretty much the only way for multiplayer to be fun is with someone you live with or if you are all professional streamers and can just mess around trying out different games together.

Nicely put.

I feel the some, multi-player is so fun when I play it with other people who also want to chill, like playing co-op in Halo back in the day, or playing Mario kart or wii sports with your family and friends. I need to play with people who want to have fun with me.

But today's multi-player (especially online) is full of games that needs grinding, people even love to spend a lot of money for gatcha, and many players got mad when playing with someone that slow them down. I don't find those type of multi-player experience enjoyable. It's so exhausting.

 

[clarky]

But I also have moments I remember playing single player games with my buddy. We played silent hill 2 from star to finish in one day for example.

Regarding the ending.... life ends, the ending gives it meaning.

I would feel like chump investing 10+ years in some game that becomes shit and my only justification to keep playing is the sunken cots fallacy. Or "I only play it because my friends play it too"

Oh yeah, I have found memories of some single player titles for sure. Just my best ones are mostly created by MP games.

I only play games I'm having fun with then I move on. Warzone & Destiny to give you two examples.

I played Exp33 this year, think I managed around 15 or so hours before I got bored, but I see the appeal if you are into that sort of thing. I think the most memorable single player experience for me of recent times was Inside. Stuck with me that one.