Multiplayer and other social devices
have been present in the videogame medium since its conception.
Experiences that brought friends together over an afternoon or
GoldenEye on the N64 and sparked rivalries over the high score on
Donkey Kong at the local arcade. There's no denying that games can be
as much of a social experience as film and music. However, like its
sister mediums, some games are arguably better played alone.
Enters the online social revolution.
With the creation of the Internet came online gaming, however playing
with friends via a connection was primarily dedicated to the PC, even
well into the new millennium. Xbox Live was the first successful
attempt to build a robust online service for home console users,
giving them the competitive edge on a new frontier of social gaming.
New consoles soon rolled out, introducing online services for the new
consoles, including a revamped Xbox Live and the newly released PSN;
Playstation's answer to XBL. This gave rise to a new era of console
gaming.
At this point, Facebook was now
establishing itself as the primary social networking site, bridging
gaps between long forgotten friends and family members living on the
other side of the country. As the addiction to stay connected rose,
so did the need to compete with friends and strangers in online
games. As Facebook generated the most online social activity since
Myspace, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was kicking up dust in the
online gaming space where the Halo franchise left off in the previous
console generation. Using fast paced and heavily competitive
multiplayer, akin to the Counterstrike series, Call of Duty took off
as the most successful entertainment franchise of all time, thanks to
the popularity of its online multiplayer component.
Fast forward to 2012, in the midst of a
social gaming craze. It seems that nearly every game franchise has
included some sort of multiplayer component, whether is was a
no-brainier or a head-turner for the series. A lot of gamers have
been starting to ask a similar question with every new game
announced: “Does it need multiplayer?” In many cases it seems
that the general consensus for is a big fat 'no,' not including
genres with a well established social formula, like shooters,
strategy games and MMORPGs. However it becomes hard for developers to
turn down such an attractive feature when it has the potential to add
lasting appeal, meaning a bigger incentive to purchase the game at
launch. Game developer and publisher, Valve, has recognized that
social aspects are key in gaming in this day and age. Portal 2's
co-op was a new milestone for social gaming in Valve developed games.
While I agree with that concept, a social aspect doesn't have to be a
competitive multiplayer or co-op mode; especially if it feels tacked
on.
It seems developers and publishers are
trying to force multiplayer into games, that might only survive one
rental from Gamefly, by creating some kind of saving grace through
online gaming. Multiplayer in games like Deadspace 2 and Assassin's
Creed: Brotherhood came out of nowhere and are two primary examples
of franchises that didn't necessarily need it to remain successful.
Fortunately for Ubisoft, Assassin's Creed has developed a niche
audience for its competitive online mode, however Deadspace wasn't so
lucky. Now games like God of War are joining the ring with some
interesting offerings on the competitive multiplayer side.
Call of Duty will always be Call of
Duty. A common problem among many developer/publisher teams is that
they need to emulate a popular series in order to compete properly.
Look at the transition from Halo to Call of Duty. Halo was the king
of the console multiplayer stage throughout the entire life of the
first Xbox console. There were many games that were called out for
copying Halo's successful formula of game mechanics and at the end of
the day, a very different kind of shooter took over the thrown.
There's nothing wrong with
experimentation. I encourage developers to seek out possibilities for
multiplayer modes and other social features in all of their
franchises, but only if appropriate for the series. Not every game
with a story needs co-op either. If the narrative focuses primarily
on the experiences and struggles of a single character, I don't want
someone poking their head in. Make it a forethought rather than an
after thought and don't tack something on for the sake of adding that
extra caption on the back of the game box.
