Posted December 31, 1969 by Scott Parrino

The never-ending debate. Games that are solely single player or bound with multiplayer have always been a subject of discussion by gamers since two-player games. But what is the purpose of this article? To say which one is better? No. But there are many aspects of these two genres that interweave with each other that gamers can take into thought to understand if deep down inside, they prefer the company of others or would rather go it alone.

Lets start off with the single player camp. These gamers approach video games as someone would approach a well-written book (or comic for those small games). Why make this relation of a book to a single player game? A book is a one-person activity. You sit down, prepare your cup of tea/coffee and settle in for excitement or danger or adventure. Last time I checked, you don?t call your buds over and have them sit over your shoulder to read along with you. This option is meant for the gamer to play the game the way they want to play it as set by the rules and the storyline of the game. Take for example the new release Half-Life 2. You play as Gordon Freeman as a scientist who was able to escape from Black Mesa from the first Half-Life years ago. The story picks up with you leaving a train into City 17, a city that is under the control of the Combine, a mysterious police force that is rounding up the local population. You are the only human controller in the game. You follow the storyline through Gordon and the events unfold in front of you as you progress. This is much like a book, as there is a definite beginning and end. This is what separates single player from the multiplayer.

Multiplayer games range from Counter-Strike to Everquest to Aces High 2. You can be a terrorist protecting your hostages from the counter-terrorists, to a powerful wizard to a bomber pilot lining up your bomb run. However, you are not the only one that is doing that job in the game. When you log onto the server, you are one of many. But there are things that bring you closer to the game then what single players game do. That wingman, party member, or leader is human. On the other side of that connection is another gamer who cares just as much as winning or getting their job done, whether you?re an ally or not. They are not artificial intelligence; they don?t follow a set pattern or blindly follow orders. These gamers think on their own and react differently. They can be horrible players or great players. This is probably the biggest difference in comparison to a single player game.

Now those may be the obvious differences of two types of game play, but there are relations. For some games, they can both be single player and multiplayer. Games such as IL2, and Halo 2 can be co-op. These allow a buddy to join in to help you complete the storyline together. This combines the aspects of both camps, allowing for a double enjoyment as your friend helps you save the world or get that fighter off your back. What do these types of games say about us as a person though? This could possibly surprise you. If you are big on playing multiplayer games, you are quite social. While some may not agree, think about it, you are working with other people you don?t know but have a common bond and in the end that is being social. You chat with them about tactics, shortcuts, tricks of the trade, and in turn, communicate. Socially in the real world these people have an easy time working as a group with others. For those who are into ?playing the book?, you enjoy spending time with yourself and getting enmeshed with the game itself. Your imagination plays wildly as you vicariously live through the game as a fighter pilot or as a renowned leader to your troops.

Ending this article on a positive note, what ever camp you are, there is one unifying term that brings every gamer together: the love for the game and the enjoyment from playing it to the best of our abilities, whether it?s public or to ourselves.