Breaking news! Single player modes are a gimmick!

[badgenome]

wfz said:

I read about 90% of it. Skimmed certain parts. You're right that I was making the wrong argument just now, but the fact still stands that the term "gimmick" shouldn't be used for single player games. A gimmick is something flashy that is used to stand out from competitors. If you're going to say something as universal as single playing experiences are gimmicks, then you've lost all meaning of the term.

Besides, there were games before video games that only required one person. Not all games inherintly needed to have multiple people.

But single player games weren't always universal. The most natural types of games pit one player against another, and all the first video games were 1 v 1: Tennis for Two, SpaceWar, Pong. Single player modes arose out of a commercial need rather than an artistic one. They were a gimmick in that sense, something needed to increase the appeal of the product. Street Fighter II's single player mode was a gimmick, as the real appeal of the game is beating your friend's virtual face in. But it's nice to have the ability to play by yourself, too, especially when you're an only child like young badgenome.

Now that online matchmaking allows for two or more people to play a game anywhere in the world, games are able to go back to their more natural multiplayer state. But of course single-player has matured a lot since its inception, and it is now a full-fledged design choice in its own right.