Video games started out in the open. People gathered around them in arcades, lined up in quarters for the next move on the machine, and watched other children take turns calling their initials at the top. Games eventually became all about home consoles, and gathering at a friend's house to play became the new social norm. But since then, online gaming has changed home consoles. The 'together' aspect is hardly the same. We may play with others and talk to them through headphones, but we are sitting alone. Some see this trend as an isolated experience, while others have thrived on creating beautiful stories through the 'alone together' aspect of gameplay.
E3 2014 launched a new generation of games (which has been growing for some time) that will define the way people play and socialize. Single-player games that didn't have much to do with playing together, like Assassin's Creed Unity and Far Cry 4, have a co-op angle. It's inevitable and cool in a way - the developers are incorporating cooperative features into all games like never before. Younger generations may have swapped out the console while playing Super Mario Bros. , but there is now the option to play simultaneously, together, across beautiful borders or just a few doors away from each other.
Games like Assassin's Creed Unity may be co-op, but it's online co-op only, and there's no split-screen option to sit next to your friend and explore together about the French Knights Templar. You will sit on your sofa and talk to your friend through a headset. Online play has been a huge success, but the local play options are dwindling.
'It was easier to monetize online games. You can be on your own - you didn't have to bring a group of people to enjoy it. The companies were getting bigger, and they had to be more conservative,” game designer Douglas Wilson told Wired.
Nintendo (NTDOY.PK) CEO Shigeru Miyamoto is feeling uneasy about online gaming. He believes that social experiences are at the heart of the Wii U console, which is why he "really focuses on a comfortable gaming experience with people in the same room." The Nintendo Duel Super Smash Bros game and Mario Kart games are titles that everyone at the party will enjoy. Fun, easy to pick up and play and entertaining to watch. Games like this turn an evening into something like watching a sports match. Players root their favorite team and shoot an error when a blue shell flies across the screen.
Miyamoto is not alone in his pursuit of co-op play on the couch. There is a move among independent designers to focus efforts on offline multiplayer. Matt Thorson's Towerfall Rise is easy to learn and fun to watch. Characters can be killed with one hit, so the excitement is really high when the battle begins and a crazy form of dribbling and strategic jumping takes hold. But Towerfall Ascension's wasn't always local multiplayer — there were considerations for making it available online. Why wouldn't it be if it could be monetized more easily? Thorson feared it would be his first online experience.
There is always someone online who is better than you or who talks trash, not in a friendly way. "Imagine being someone's first TowerFall experience makes me feel bad, and I really can't get over that."
There are two categories of gaming culture fighting a battle over what's right for the consumer and makes the most money, and what's the most fun. So far, indie game developers and a slew of Nintendo games have been trying to keep local play going. But there is an argument to be made for this online experience.