Whatever happened to the social aspect of videogames?

[Gildedtongue]

Not all that long ago, multiplayer games on the console, and even the PC, had a sense of human interaction to it. PC games had LAN support, consoles pretty much required people to actually go to each other's houses to sit down and play the games. There was a sense that it was something to do to actually bring people together, have them sit down and talk with each other and was something friends could do to bond or have fun.

Now with the release of information that StarCraft II, its predecessor well known for being a LAN gaming staple, will be only able to be played online through their Battle.net servers, game companies seem to be pushing people further into isolation.

Nintendo seems to be the one company that is trying to avoid this trend, in saying that the Wii is meant for gatherings rather than playing against strangers. But this seems to be drawing the ire of gamers, or at least vocal game critics. Has it really come to the point where people actively try to avoid each other, or is it a small group of very vocal people with little better to do than to write emails to game companies and post on forums that on-line play is the end-all-be-all of playing videogames.

I'll admit that it is great to be able to play with people all over the world at any time I sit down, but at the same time, I like to have actual friends that I know their faces, have shook their hands and know more intimately than simply what class they play and the alts they'd admit having.

 

[Serious_Stalin]

I share your pain. Unfortunatley I don't own a Wii and I have no intention of buying one. I have Call of Duty World at War and Fight Night as my multiplayer games. I miss multiplayer shooters where you could have bots as well. Ok, I miss Timesplitters.

I have reminiscent memories of the social aspect of gaming where it was a perfectly reasonable friday night activity to go round to somebodies house with a six pack and game to your hearts content. It was, to be honest, mainly timesplitters and fighting games like Soul Calibur. Now everyone has a next generation console people are reluctant to go back to their roots.

I don't think that the sole use of battle net makes a huge difference though as it is still possible to play your friends in one room together on a private server. I wish that there were more LAN cafe's about, there used to be an amazing one in my area called And So it Begins, and it really brought people together and was a good place for the local gaming community to get together and play video games/Card Games and RPG's.

 

[Gildedtongue]

Starcraft II won't have LAN support?

What the FFFFFFFFF

Link?

Ummm, this very website? http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/92748-StarCraft-II-Will-Not-Support-LAN

 

[AboveUp]

You know, I completely agree with the opening post here.

One of my friends has been pushing me to get a Gold account on Xbox Live again so we can play Street Fighter 4. The thing is, we're both living in the same city, we both have an Xbox, we both have arcade sticks and needless to say, we both own Street Fighter 4. But he refuses to actually play the game offline.
I honestly don't get it.

Same thing with Smash Brothers and Mario Kart. People I know in real life want to play against me online. I'd rather play them while they're in the same room with me. Kind of like we used to do with previous generations of gaming.

I'm glad some of my friends still likes to play Settler of Catan on an actual board. Instead of playing the PC or Live Arcade version online. A few of my friends did start playing that instead of the real thing.

 

[Guitarmasterx7]

well most games don't FORCE you to play online, unless you're talking PC gaming, where in that case you can just take your laptop to your friends house or something, which is what you would have to do for LAN play anyways. Your logic seems a bit flawed to me. Just because you don't have to be in the same room as someone to play with them doesn't mean you can't be. It's like saying "I hate cell phones because you can never talk to people anymore." Also i think the only reason the wii doesn't have a good online system is because they spent their whole console building budget on a faulty motion gimmick, not because they're trying to bring people together or whatever you said.

 

[Scrythe]

The worst part about that for me is that I have absolutely no "online friends". So if I wanted to play (or finish) a game say for example, Resident Evil 5, I'm stuck with Sheva's near-catatonic AI or play with a total stranger, who may or may not just screw me over (something I've noticed a lot with online RTS games).

Sure, I've jumped on the MMO Bandwagon, but the taste in my mouth after that experience isn't even enough to consider it "stale" anymore. That, and it's quite impossible for me to find enough free time to devote it to an MMO.

So I'm surrounded by all these great games that boast their insanely-fun online play, but I'll never know who these people are other than "noobpwner69" or "immagurlgimmegold", let alone play with them again! With all my EYE-ARE-ELL friends riding the $15-a-month train, I'm stuck with single player mode. I miss the days where someone you know would get that awesome new Genesis title and everyone would be rushing over to their house to take turns and fight over it. That's an experience I could never forget. Now we all just scream at eath other over Ventrillo while smashing the shit out of the 1-5 keys and "Heal Me!" macros.

This is truly the Dark Age of Gaming.

 

[HardRockSamurai]

Over time, video game companies started shifting the focus of games from "hanging out with friends" to "meeting new friends all over the world." It's funny that this is the topic of this thread, because it's what we're doing right now. Do you know any of the people who commented on this thread; maybe, but you're still communicating with an entire planet's worth of users on an anonymous level.

I still do play video games with my friends; I play Halo 3 online every now and then with my old college roommate. I guess you can saw we've combined personal interaction with anonymous interaction; it just makes video games that much more fun.

 

[Acaroid]

More games need split screen co-op...that is all.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

Split-screen co-op, how I miss you...

 

[FinalHeart95]

I was playing Soul Calibur IV with a friend the other day (and killing him... even if he doesn't have the game...), and that was tons of fun. Not to mention playing co-op on FPS games with the people right next to you.

Nothing beats playing a game with someone who is right next to you.

 

[Randomnaru]

I'm for both sides on this one, I really love playing COD: 4 and SSBB wtih my friends split screen, but with the busy lives a lot of us lead, it can hard to get together and play. Plus, buying four controllers if you friends don't have any can be really expensive. In the end I just wish that more games had both and not just one option for multiplayer.

 

[Gamer137]

If people want to LAN Starcraft II, they just need to all get into the same house, and connect to a router rather then eachother.

 

[quack35]

This is why I love Halo 3. 4-player splitscreen rules.

 

[randommaster]

If people want to LAN Starcraft II, they just need to all get into the same house, and connect to a router rather then eachother.

I don't think this will work, as it seems that you need to use the Battle.net to play multiplayer and that there won't be a way to do so otherwise.

Nintendo has always been the multiplayer console, but now th 360 and the Wii are sharing the title, with the 360 having the best online online while the Wii has the best local multiplayer. If "best" isn't to your liking, then "most" works just as well. Nintendo has had their console have the ability to play with more than two people since the SNES and many of their games are memorable for bringing people together, in my experience it's been SSBM and Goldeneye.

The thing iis tht people want to b able to play multiplayer without having to handle the logistics of bringing everyone over to their house. Online multiplayer is good, but it really helps to have a split screen option so that people aren't forced to hook up their consoles if they want to play with a friend offline.

 

[nametakentwice]

I agree that it would be nice if StarCraft II had a LAN option, and that gaming is evolving in different directions.

And yet, in recent years there is a renaissance of social gaming in terms of games that anyone, even non-gamers, can enjoy. Quiz games like BuzzQuizTV and SceneIt, karaoke games like SingStar, Dance games like Dance Dance Revolution, music games like Rock Band. I have enjoyed playing all of these games with friends.

And there are still fun, traditional games out there. The LEGO games spoofing various TV shows and movies are fun to play with friends (moreso than solo, I'd say), sports games are still around aplenty (something I only enjoy with friends).

The online networks also tend to have a lot of retro options which have multiplayer capability, and are also releasing revised versions of old games that are great for multiplayer gaming (ex 1942 on the PSN).

The online ability is great for playing with friends who have moved far away, which happens a lot as the world continues to globalize. Webcams and microphones are also great tools for keeping in touch.

So, I think there are certainly plenty of options for those who are able to get together physically, as well as options for those who are playing online. It is what you make of it. The trick with in-person may just be to find the people to congregate with, something that goes beyond the gaming world.

 

[Flour]

If people want to LAN Starcraft II, they just need to all get into the same house, and connect to a router rather then eachother.

I don't think this will work, as it seems that you need to use the Battle.net to play multiplayer and that there won't be a way to do so otherwise.

A "private server fix" should work.
If the developer won't give you the option, then make it yourself

 

[randommaster]

If people want to LAN Starcraft II, they just need to all get into the same house, and connect to a router rather then eachother.

I don't think this will work, as it seems that you need to use the Battle.net to play multiplayer and that there won't be a way to do so otherwise.

A "private server fix" should work.
If the developer won't give you the option, then make it yourself

They probably will have some option for local play, as it would be a shame to lose the entire market of Korea.

 

[Gladion]

well most games don't FORCE you to play online, unless you're talking PC gaming, where in that case you can just take your laptop to your friends house or something, which is what you would have to do for LAN play anyways. Your logic seems a bit flawed to me. Just because you don't have to be in the same room as someone to play with them doesn't mean you can't be. It's like saying "I hate cell phones because you can never talk to people anymore." Also i think the only reason the wii doesn't have a good online system is because they spent their whole console building budget on a faulty motion gimmick, not because they're trying to bring people together or whatever you said.

What are you saying? I thought this post was about games not offering offline-multiplayer or peope not wanting to play offline-multiplayer any more. It never said anybody had to play online neccessarily.

About the Wii: From the very first day on, it has been marketed as some sort of platform that you can bring anybody in front of your TV and play. So they definetly DO try to bring people together.

 

[Anarchy In Detroit]

I have to agree. As a giant pothead I love games where I can sit and play with my friends lol.