Photo by Cory Wyman ’16 – There are aspects of single player games that are more appealing to some consumers, whereas others find multiplayer gaming facets more attractive.

Single-player focused games offer more variety, replay ability

By Jace Riley ’16
THE ROUNDUP

There are two main types of games: single-player focused and multiplayer focused.

“Skyrim” would be single-player focused while “Battlefield 4” is the latter.

Single-player games have long campaigns, cinematic moments and usually replay-ability.

“Skyrim” and the newly released “Dragon Age: Inquisition” are almost entirely single player games and offer many hours of gameplay.

There are side quests you can do, branching narratives and decisions you can make that will change events.

This is what makes these games amazing; when you’re done with the campaign, you can go back and continue or restart and change everything.

One game you’re an archer, the other you’re a knight. This replay-ability gives the games longer play-throughs.

Multiplayer games focus on player versus player interaction (“Call of Duty”) or player versus environment with people on a team (“World of Warcraft”).

They do offer fun times, but many just cycle through with annual releases, and barely spice up their games.

All of them feel very similar and get repetitive quite quickly.

The biggest drawback to these games is the necessity of a community.

Many new projects with multiplayer don’t last long, unless the game is a smash hit.

“Call of Duty” and “Battlefield” will last a long time, but games like “Titanfall” will have a much shorter lifespan.

“Titanfall” is a multiplayer only game, and when not a lot of people buy the game, it is ultimately worthless.

Single player games give you an assortment of variety from medieval to western.

The moment you hop on to play your game, you can play because you don’t require 10 other people to even start.

Games with single player focused and small multiplayer elements are perfect.

“Mass Effect 3” offers a great example.

The multiplayer was a small aspect that added the ability to have fun with friends, while still not depending on it. You can still play single player, the main selling point for “Mass Effect 3,” but the game’s multiplayer is probably dead.

Single player games offer continuous fun and are superior, while multiplayer focused games are redundant and tend to die out due to people not branching out to new franchises.

Multiplayer offers hours more enjoyment than single-player

By Hunter Cisiewski ’17
THE ROUNDUP

With hours more content and unlimited replay-ability, multiplayer games offer a much longer and better overall video game experience.

Games that incorporate multiplayer create a sense of involvement that enhances and extrapolates the game.

Many would argue that a single-player game with a great story would suffice, and to that effect they have a point.

Some of the greatest games of all time, along the lines of “Half-Life” and “The Elder Scrolls” series, are considered as such due to their great story.

However, it is the games that incorporate cohesive and sensible multiplayer elements that really shine.

The “Dark Souls” series, produced by FromSoftware, is a perfect example of how great seamless multiplayer can make a great game. In “Dark Souls,” the player can be invaded by other online players and killed for experience.

This element always adds a sense of terror to the already horrifying game, making an even more intense environment.

Games that focus completely on multiplayer, like Dice’s long running “Battlefield” franchise, offer hundreds of hours of first person shooter enjoyment with others.

These games give players deep customization, which allows for individuality among the thousands of players.

As of 2015, with a concurrent player base of 27 million, Riot Game’s “League of Legends” is the most popular game in the world.

The game is strictly multiplayer, but every new match has a unique feeling that draws players back again and again to try to reach the highest ranks.

Multiplayer games offer a feeling of both community and uniqueness as one player can strive to stand out against the millions of others and look forward to their interactions with people from all over the world.