Why are single-player games being forgotten?

Recently during an interview with GameSpot, EA executive Peter Moore had this to say. "very few people actually play the single-player on these kinds of games. That's what the data points to." These kind of games are shooters, and the game in question is Star Wars BattleFront.

This trend in the gaming world, truly grinds my gears... Not so long ago, about 8 years ago to be exact. Multi-player features were seen as the tacked on feature, the thing that was mostly left untouched. Now why is that? Because frankly, back then the multi-player features were tacked on. Sure there were some games that had great multi-player experiences, but those were the exceptions. Countless other games simply tacked on a basic multi-player mode, and these were left untouched. Why? Because little effort was put into them. Now the same can be said about some single-player features of today.

Do you see the connection? Gamers play good games, it does not matter if it has online, single or multi-player. The reason a gamer may skip the single player experience, in a game like Battlefield 4 is that it was tacked on. But, guess what? I still played Battlefield 4's campaign, I play all single-player campaigns. Do you know why? I prefer single-player experiences. And I am not the only one. The real reason gamers skip the single-player portion of some games, is that all the effort went into the multi-player.

But I will give you three huge examples of games, that balance both single and multi-player experiences. Gears of War, Killzone and Halo, regardless if you like those games, they both had great single and multi-player features. Both the single and multi-player components got the same level of polish, neither were tacked on. The moral of the story, is to polish the entire gaming experience, and not just the most popular aspect.

When a game has both multi and single-player modes, if one is not given the same level of polish, gamers will feel cheated. There is this horrible notion, that there are more people who prefer multi-player games. It is not true, even my friends who are die-hard online gamers, still enjoy single-player games. I do not know a single gamer who only plays one kind of game. While I am sure there are gamers out there like that, they are the minority. 

Most gamers enjoy variety, I know I do. The gaming industry is reading the data wrong. Gamers are not skipping single-player games cause they don't prefer them, just like they weren't skipping multi-player games back in the day. No, gamers skip certain games based on the game's quality not the kind of game it is. Although there is recent data, that could suggest gamers would skip a multiplayer only game. Which I also do not think is true.

But, if you take a game that had a single-player mode, make a sequel and drop a major feature to save money. You may piss off a good number of gamers. Am I excited for the new Star Wars Battlefront? Yes, and I am going to buy it on launch. But I am very disappointed that we have lost out on the possibility of an incredible campaign feature. 

But I am equally saddened, that the gaming media choose to slaughter a great single-player game this year. The Order 1886 is still one of my favorite games this year, and I have replayed that sucker at least five times now. That game may have been short but it was a great single-player experience. And because it was on the shorter side, and lacked online play, the media choose to sandbag it. Is a great game for everyone? No, but for fans of great single-player shooters it is a terrific game.

The gaming media may want you to believe that gamers are not into single-player games. They may sandbag a single-player game that has flaws like any other game, just to make a point. And it is this wheel of constant negativity that bothers me the most about the industry. I do not care that the industry is based on making money. I am not bothered by the preorder and DLC trends. What I am bothered by is the shortsightedness that is bringing the industry down. 

Every major site that does any kind of gaming review, always decides when they dislike a game to blast it to pieces. And most gamers don't care and defend it as just their opinion. If someone is discussing a game is one thing, but if your writing reviews for a living, you should learn to be more professional than some random blogger. 

Yes, a review is just an opinion, but the power of the major media sites is too huge to ignore. They set trends and kill sales. And some gamers may say, they are keeping us from wasting our money on a bad game, but that is rarely the case. The constant stream of negativity only keeps gamers from experiencing good games, cause they were led to believe these games were bad or broken. However, the only real issue with most of these games, is that they were not the reviewer's kind of game. 

Single-player experiences are being left behind or forgotten in some cases, not because gamers have forgotten them, but because the industry has neglected them. Whether that is mainly from the industry misreading trends, or the negative spin of the gaming media, is kind of a toss up. Getting back to the catalyst for this article, Peter Moore's statement was idiotic, but also not unexpected.

We have been seeing this kind of mentality for a while in the industry. And it is a shame that a single-player component in Star Wars Battlefront, was a casualty of this mindset. But there is good news. Single-player games are here to stay, and there are tons coming out this and next year. While the media likes to make these things into some big deal. The truth is it's just spin. While some things in the industry have changed in recent times. For the most part the heart is still the same. 

The only real issue in the gaming world, is the mass amounts of negativity that is constantly spewing over all the fun. This is an industry and community based around escapism and fun. And people seem to forget that. It does not matter if a game is good or bad, all that matters is if you have fun.         

Where did they go, and why did no one protect them? Gaming preservation halted by the ESA

The "EFF" ( Electronic Frontier Foundation) has been trying to take steps to preserve gaming history, recently, however, the "ESA" (Entertainment Software Association) has done its best to shut down these attempts. What the "EFF" is asking for, is to allow game enthusiasts, museums, and academics certain exemptions, from the "Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s anti-circumvention provisions" so that they can modify certain games to be playable after the servers are shut down or, the systems to play these games become unavailable. What the "EFF" is simply trying to do, is to allow games to be archived and preserved for future gamers and research. The "EFF" contacted the Copyright Office to ask for this exemption, needless to say it did not take long for the "ESA" to send the Copyright Office a letter to try and stop the "EFF".

The "ESA" states that any modification is a form of video game piracy, which is simply untrue and a complete exaggeration. What the "EFF" is trying to do, is keep games playable, games that may become impossible to find or, that need hardware that is unavailable. This is not to create loopholes for piracy, this is about preserving our gaming history and culture. While the "ESA" would try to make you believe their reasons are about piracy, they are in fact only trying to stop this to protect profits. Simply put, the archiving of games using the "EFF's" methods, is not profitable. This is the only reason the "ESA" is against the "EFF's" proposals. Now I disagree with what the "ESA is doing, I do understand trying to protect your earnings, however if these games are no longer produced they are not losing a single cent.

I can understand they do not want things to be given away freely, they do not want to lose out on a chance to make money. The "ESA" is simply trying to protect the industries bottom line. Regardless of the reasons, if the "ESA" does not want our history preserved in this way, they need to find some other way. If they are going to put a stop to the good work the "EFF" is doing, they need to supplement the work with their own preservation measures. Preserving gaming history is the most important issue in our community today. I hate that in 5 years time, some of the games I have played and loved, these wonderful experiences could be gone forever. And while my only concern is for my fellow gamer, I can understand the needs of the industry. 

I do believe much like film, music and written works, that game designers and creators deserve to get royalties and to be compensated for their phenomenal work. And I can understand why people like the "ESA" would not want games to be freely available. So, find another solution, help preserve gaming history and help the industry continue to thrive. Give the people who want to preserve the gaming communities culture, an alternative to archive and protect gaming's history. Would it be amazing if we could freely access classic games? Hell yes, it would be awesome to just download a game I used to love, and be able to play it whenever I want. Nevertheless, I know that is an unreasonable request to place on the industry.

My passion for gaming preservation is why I am a supporter of "remasters". While some people see these remastered ports as a cheap cash in, I simply see them as a way of keeping great games playable on new hardware. I actually enjoy playing most of these re-releases, most of them have been very well done and they do more good than harm. Still, this is not the best way to preserve our games, because it only preserves a tiny portion of our history. Film, music, written works, and even comic books are seen as being worthy of preservation, why is gaming not treated the same way? These other art-forms have been protected for years, yet when someone tries to apply the same protection to gaming, they are rarely taken as seriously. One day some of the games we love may be gone, and we will think, where did they go, and why did no one protect them?

What saddens me the most, is that the majority of gamers are so busy trashing every new or popular game release, that one of the few issues that really matters is pushed to the side and forgotten. Instead of talking about protecting our history, we are busy fighting among ourselves about which game sucks the least. There was a time when gamers just talked about their love of gaming, and I miss that time. Gamers used to talk about the games they loved, we would give each other recommendations about the latest and greatest game we got. Now all I hear is the extreme negativity, about nearly every game that comes out. Where did the fun go? Where did our passion for this incredible industry go?

Gaming has always been a source of fun and good times for me. As a gamer I know I am so lucky to be in this time, all the fantastic technology we have at our fingertips is staggering. The games also only seem to be getting better. Yet all I hear is about how the new game sucks. I think if out history was preserved if you could see what gaming was like 15 years ago, today's gamers might see things a little differently. Especially when you are able to play the games you have so many wonderful memories of. Because then your able to see the memories you have, can be better than the actual experience. Still, it is also good to replay those games, so you can relive those feelings that game gave you. And reliving those experiences can be incredibly meaningful, this is why I believe so strongly in gaming preservation.  

So if the "ESA" has any better ideas on how to protect gaming's legacy I'm all ears, however, if they have no better alternative stand aside and let these passionate gamers save our memories. This is not about "video game piracy", this is about letting the gamers of tomorrow experience the games of yesterday. While I understand the "ESA's" motivations, I also know if they have problems with this solution they need to give us an alternative.

For information on video game preservation and more head to the "EFF's" official site https://www.eff.org/ 

Here is also a list of other groups or organizations focused on gaming's preservation or gaming history. 

Video Game and Arcade Preservation Society http://www.arcade-museum.com/vaps/   

European Federation of Game Archives, Museums and Preservation Projects http://www.efgamp.eu/

International Arcade Museum http://www.arcade-museum.com/

Hardcore Gaming 101 http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/

Unseen 64 http://www.unseen64.net/