Some people like to swing their sword alone and be the ultimate champion of the arena, some people like to hit it with friends and and take things down as a team. No matter which group you belong, all that matters is the fun of it, the purpose of entertainment. Video games have been our great source of entertainment for years now. People (or should I say gamers) no longer spend their free time for nothing, at least they have source of entertainment, and a lot of it. Games have come a long way. Even back in the early days, there were fun 2 player arcade games, albeit offline, but still amazingly entertaining. Now in the age of modern computers and fast internet, multiplayer games are starting to dominate the industry. Sure, playing with friends is fun. But solo campaigns has always been a soft spot for me. More often then not, I like to hit it alone, have some 'me-time', cruise around and explore myself.
“The right games can bring families and friends together during this time in a really positive way,” says Arkadium CEO and co-founder, Jessica Rovello. She says that teenagers separated from friends are probably already connecting in games like Fortnite, younger kids can collaborate on Minecraft and Roblox, and adults can keep their brains sharp playing an online word game or relax by getting lost in a hidden object game. And if you’re looking for a little friendly competition, Rovello explains that you don’t even need to get into a complicated multiplayer game: “Just play on your own, text your friends a screen grab of your score, and challenge them to do better!”
Choosing what type of games I would like or you would like is not really that hard. For me, it depends on my mood. Of course I like multiplayer games, but not always. As I said, I also like to explore the beauties myself, often time the thing I miss in online games. I love exploring the beautiful world of Tomb Raider or Uncharted myself. Or maybe cruise around the country roads of Red Dead Redemption 2. The exquisite feel that these explorations provide, is like a peace of mind, source of tranquility (well, maybe just in the digital world). As for the playing friends part, not only I can play with my friends, I can play against them too, both in solo or group mode. This is probably one of the best thing I like about multiplayer games, and this is one of the oldest concepts too. Everyone likes challenges and everyone likes to win, even in a group, the individuality complex is overwhelming.
During the COVID situation, gamers have been super active in the communities. Because this is a great way of being occupied and have fun time with friends even while staying home. Staying home and gaming is probably the best thing (of entertainment) that happened during this period. I'm saying entertainment purposes because this should never be an all day activity. The emphasis is and always will be on more productive works, not just entertainment.
I could mention some great online and offline games in this post for sure, but you probably already know that. What I wanted to say is, single player games are also fun and we should never take it lightly. There is a huge amount of people that still like to play solo, even if the game offers multiplayer features. Assassin's creed, Hitman, Tomb Raider, Prince of Persia, Devil May Cry, Darksiders, The Witcher, Batman Arkham and I can go on and on about great solo campaign games. What these games can offer, multiplayer games haven't made it yet. Massively online multiplayer games created a new genre, but didn't kill solo campaigns. And game devs should not only focus on multiplayer games as they generate more money. People still love and will always love solo stories.
