GamerSushi Asks: The Waning of Multiplayer?

Monaco

I’m not sure if it’s because I’m getting older, have less time, or because most multiplayer games are feeling pretty homogenous these days, but I’m barely able to dive into multiplayer matches any longer. What used to keep me up long into the morning hours before school or work just feels like a chore. Fighting guys that use the same cheap tactics, using the same abilities or progression trees that started in Modern Warfare — none of these things interest me any longer. Even Halo 4, a game whose multiplayer I loved, only had my attention for a few weeks. It seems like CS:GO is the only multiplayer game I can dive into a few times per month.

If other players must be involved, what I love these days is a good co-op/horde mode. It’s far better to kill with friends than it is to kill your friends (virtually speaking, lest I end up on an FBI watch list). I’ve had my eyes on Monaco for this very reason. Besides the fact that it’s a co-op heist game (which we talked about on a podcast a few months back), I just really want a game that allows me to yell at my friends.

But beyond that, my most beloved thing at the moment is still tried and true single player gaming. There’s nothing quite like the joy brought about by a brilliantly crafted solo experience, as evidenced by games like Bioshock: Infinite and Tomb Raider, which are the only things I’ve played over the last month. It’s crazy to me that so many publishers demand a multiplayer component. I know that they must have numbers to support it, but who are these people that have all this time to just endlessly play the same thing over and over?

So my question to you guys is this: is your interest in multiplayer waning these days? Or is it still strong as ever? Do you think this is because of an age/time of life difference, or is there something to the idea that multiplayer games are steadily growing more and more similar? What say you?

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I write about samurai girls and space marines. Writer for Smooth Few Films. Rooster Teeth Freelancer. Author of Red vs. Blue, The Ultimate Fan Guide, out NOW!

5 thoughts on “GamerSushi Asks: The Waning of Multiplayer?”

  1. I’m to the point where I only get into a maximum of two multiplayer games a year. I’ve always preferred single player experiences over multiplayer ones, and as life gets busier I find myself much more inclined to play a single player game than spend the time to first get good at a multiplayer game, then continue to play it in order to have fun and remain good.

  2. I agree with drell. And usually if the game seems to need a multiplayer the community usually comes up with a way around it. example GTA:SA and as of current Just Cause 2

  3. Yeah, I am less likely to get into a game’s multiplayer. I don’t have the time that others do to get really in depth with it and I also want to play other games that are out.

    Co-op is fun, but as we get older, it is getting harder and harder to schedule sessions.

    Single player is the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be.

  4. At this point the only game I play competitive multiplayer in is League of Legends. I’ve really gone off of FPS’s recently, so I’m not even playing TF2 anymore at this point. My friends and I have been enjoying the odd LAN game of Total War or Crusader Kings 2. They offer something way more interesting to me than shooting. I will still play co-op, however. Go teamwork!

  5. Using Petyr’s friends as a point, I really think that shooters multiplayer are dieing, but games that are like RTS games still bring great multiplayer.

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