Single vs. Multiplayer

Single player video games is when the game is played only by one player against the computer’s AI throughout the course of the game, whereas single player mode is a specific section of the game where it is designed for one player to play the game although in modern video games, other players can play alongside you simultaneously in the single player mode.

During the early stages of video games, single player mode was vastly successful as it was simple for designers to create as it usually focused on having one character to play as. It was also highly influential in the development of video games as it became the core element in the making of video games and further enhanced different modes that can be incorporated in video games such as multiplayer mode.

The most common genres to feature single player modes are; action-adventure games, platform games, first-person shooters and many more. Here is a little clip of some popular single player video games that has sold for millions and popular till this date.

There are quite a few positives and negatives about single player video games, I am going to state a few, such as playing the game without relying on anyone to complete an objective, as sometimes players with a different skill level may hold you back from progressing further in the game. You may feel that completing the “campaign” by yourself feel like a more deserved victory than having a companion to help you out. However, if you get stuck on a certain mission/level and you do not know how to overcome the mission you cannot get help from another player to help you complete the mission, which may make the player stop playing and resent the game overall.

Multiplayer video games consist of more than one player in the same game world which aren’t controlled by AI but rather by other players at the same time. This type of game allows players to work alongside each other to complete a common goal/objective or go against each to compete for the winning spot for instance, Call of Duty multiplayer modes, players are put into two separate teams which is made up of other players then try to defeat the opposing team using the items (weapons, grenades) that are available to them.

There are different types of Multiplayer Games some are; Co-Op and Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO).

Co-Op is a feature in video games that allows players to bring in other players during a single player mission, or play with other players on the same console in a specific game mode i.e. Co-Op or Split Screen. Internet access is usually not needed for this game type.  Games that implement Co-Op mode are Battlefield, Call of Duty and Mario Kart just to name a few. A split screen is normally required when playing in co-op mode as each player can have their view of their character which could restrict the view for each person as they may not be able see the surroundings around them, although they can quickly help each other if one player is overwhelmed by an enemy they can quickly figure out where they are and help them out.

Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) games usually consists of a large number of players in one game world in different servers.  Final Fantasy, League of Legends and Dungeons and Dragons are some popular examples of Role playing games (RPG) that are in MMO format, these became popular due to the accessibility within the game that allows players to communicate and play together as a community which make gamers become more immersed and make friends with new people. This could be seen as an advantage of MMO type games however, an internet connection is needed to run the games as without an constant internet connection, the player become offline in the middle of an important mission/event and be costly to them i.e. may lose certain credits or seen as an failed mission by default.