The more I think about it the more I wonder if the people who like single-player vs. multiplayer are fundamentally different, that they are two very different genres. And that difference is what has made the latest multiplayer first person shooters so popular.
In another comment I said I liked multiplayer FPSs because they are like competitive sports. But the friends I know that like single-player FPSs and RPGs don't like sports, they didn't play them as kids and they don't like watching them.
The latest crop of MP FPSs, like MW3 and BF3 have mass appeal. I suspect a lot of the people playing them would otherwise be outside playing basketball, watching football, riding skateboards, or hanging out at the mall. The fact that these games are now on consoles makes it much easier for previous non-gamers to get into. Consoles are much cheaper than gaming PCs, and they are socially acceptable as non-geeky.
It occurred to me that all the author's problems with single-player games, e.g., linear levels, dumb AI, could be solved by playing multiplayer. So I tried to think of a way to combine the campaigns of SP with the player vs. player of MP. One thought was to have each MP map be connected to the rest. Winning an objective, like blowing up or defending a bridge would move the next round's spawn points to the other side of the bridge, and the game would continue with a new objective. More campaign-like.
More complex MP gameplay would appeal to me as an MP fan, it would require more team tactics, and the consequence of losing would be greater. But would it appeal to an SP fan? I truly don't understand the appeal of single-player games. Is there a way to make multiplayer FPS games more appealing to single-player FPS fans? What do people actually like about single-player first person shooters?
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The more I think about it the more I wonder if the people who like single-player vs. multiplayer are fundamentally different, that they are two very different genres. And that difference is what has made the latest multiplayer first person shooters so popular.
In another comment I said I liked multiplayer FPSs because they are like competitive sports. But the friends I know that like single-player FPSs and RPGs don't like sports, they didn't play them as kids and they don't like watching them.
The latest crop of MP FPSs, like MW3 and BF3 have mass appeal. I suspect a lot of the people playing them would otherwise be outside playing basketball, watching football, riding skateboards, or hanging out at the mall. The fact that these games are now on consoles makes it much easier for previous non-gamers to get into. Consoles are much cheaper than gaming PCs, and they are socially acceptable as non-geeky.
It occurred to me that all the author's problems with single-player games, e.g., linear levels, dumb AI, could be solved by playing multiplayer. So I tried to think of a way to combine the campaigns of SP with the player vs. player of MP. One thought was to have each MP map be connected to the rest. Winning an objective, like blowing up or defending a bridge would move the next round's spawn points to the other side of the bridge, and the game would continue with a new objective. More campaign-like.
More complex MP gameplay would appeal to me as an MP fan, it would require more team tactics, and the consequence of losing would be greater. But would it appeal to an SP fan? I truly don't understand the appeal of single-player games. Is there a way to make multiplayer FPS games more appealing to single-player FPS fans? What do people actually like about single-player first person shooters?