Player 2 Press Start – The Decline of Multiplayer Sofa Gaming

I guess it was inevitable. Online gaming provides a route to multiplayer on a scale simply not possible at home. The allure to developers is one of new challenges and creativity while to publishers it represents a way to keep their game in the disc drive, not to mention charging for optional extras.

It used to be that if you had friends over you had several strong titles to chuck on; Bomberman, Mario Kart, Goldeneye, and they would keep you entertained for an eternity. Now, I would struggle to find one decent contender in my, admittedly small, library.

So what’s changed?

Well most noticeably I’m no longer a child (physically). I do own Mario Kart Wii, though my extreme disappointment in it usually prevents me from playing, and I’m not above owning what’s perceived as a kids’ game as long as it is fun. I am really looking forward to ModNation Racers which was designed to include 4 player split screen from the get go, specifically to invoke the glory days.

You see sometimes nothing beats playing amongst friends and simply, goading, boasting and taunting each other until you’re out of breath. Mammoth sessions of WCW Vs NWO Revenge on the N64 were events in and of themselves. Epic battles of skill and wit where psyching out and distracting your opponent was par for the course, as long as you adhered to the “no touchy” policy. If you did, shit got real as physically impairing your quarry from playing was bad form, it meant you were the lesser player.

This degree of camaraderie has not been replicated thus far in online games. GTA 4 came close as playing alongside people with whom you have a rapport is necessary to get the best out of the multiplayer. When you play Modern Warfare 2 you can buddy up and communicate, warn each other and generally have each other’s backs. If you didn’t party up in a lobby first and you get split into teams then you can’t communicate (this shouldn’t be a problem but for some reason I cannot party up with my best friend, the server just refuses to connect us). I’m not saying you should because then the game would be rife with cheap camper/hunter mole tactics but on opposing teams it does mean you can’t flame each other. Sometimes you don’t want strangers snaking out kills or intervening in your awesome shots. Many times I have pulled off something incredible, stood up to get acknowledgement only to see that yes, I am in a room by myself. I have been robbed of that back patting for all round jamminess.

So while you can still play with friends on the couch, the game may not be ideal. When you hook up online it can be fun, extremely so but you have to be teamed up and strangers will get in the way.

Strangers. I have people on my friends list I’ve never met, never spoken to and some I’m not even sure how I acquired. I value playing with other people. I’m in no way bemoaning online multiplayer, I think it’s a revelation. It is a natural course for the industry, another means for it to grow and it wouldn’t happen if it wasn’t so damn successful;the 360 MW2 DLC sells a million on its first day? That’s insane, and everyone knew it was a rip-off, they did it anyway. To be better I need to be challenged and online I can play a lot of people who are better than me, so I become better. Playing the same people means you quickly get wise to their tricks and it becomes more tit for tat or a question of reflexes.

After this shall we go to Starbucks or commit a heinous gang savagery?

Online multiplayer is no less intense and some games are perfect for it. Street Fighter 4 is a game that would not allow you to stay connected to a friend, poor design maybe but it’s by the by. I played the same friend in person and online in that game and found that online I was more cordial, whereas in the flesh I was more inclined to playfully taunt. The disembodied voice disconnects you from the person you know so you don’t know whether they can read that you’re just fucking about. In person you have eye contact and demeanor to help you out.

Playing a stranger on Street Fighter 4 nearly cooked my hands right on the pad. It is heart stopping. Every second is a battle for your life. I had one guy add me after an extremely hard fought match, he was many ranks above me and playing as Ryu while I was not a rookie but still green. I played only as Chun Li so was fairly proficient and I surprised him by taking the second round. We fought until we could see only the tiniest fraction of our energy bars until he finally clinched it with a bitch slap. Yeah I lost but by that point it was a matter of honour. Like Rocky I had earned respect by going the distance and providing a close and entertaining match up.

I mentioned that I had grown up and so don’t feel the need to play things such as Raving Rabbids and mini-game based fare, the major point is that the consumer has grown up. Sofa Multiplayers have fallen to the wayside because like me, everyone else who started gaming when they were kids are getting older and you don’t have time to play on the sofa every night with friends. You have other commitments and you no longer live 2 minutes walk away. I am immensely grateful to online gaming as it is a means of staying in contact (when you can fucking connect, I’m looking at you MW2 matchmaking server) with friends I might not otherwise see for quite some time. In this way the decline of Sofa Multiplayer is moot because I would not be able to do it.

Is Sofa Multiplayer in decline, or is my time?

Online is growing so naturally Sofa is declining. Most online games you simply cannot play split screen. Something that is continuing to gain ground though is Co-Op.

So "multi-tap" is not a euphemism for group sex?

Co-Op can be done on the sofa or online and the experience stays mostly the same. You are not opponents so you don’t get the Street Fighter 4 perception clash, you are a team but don’t have to deal with other people. Resident Evil 5 did it well and Army of Two built whole games around it while next year’s Gears of War 3 will feature it in a big way. Co-Op keeps the camaraderie the way that GTA 4 Multiplayer did (and Red Dead Redemption will) by keeping your team small and personal, it has you pursuing a common goal so any mistake flaming is shared and ultimately self deprecating as their fail is your fail and vice versa.

Co-Op has great appeal because it has the potential to inject story into your multiplayer. Team Deathmatch is straight up killing and its flag or capture variations may be task based but there’s no reasoning behind it except to win. If I can feel that I am motivated to prevail and to keep my partner alive and will be rewarded with advancement within a story then that is a richer experience.

One experience should not exist over another but the overall landscape should include more multiplay models. Sometimes I do just want an arcadey shoot to kill game, sometimes I want more.  The Decline of Sofa Multiplayer is not a bad thing, it is now more in line with what its demographic has become; families looking for a quick zot on a throwaway party game. For more depth I head online and when the title is right you can nail Co-Op and do it at home or over your net connection.

Naturally you disagree so share this article to let everyone know what a shit I am, and comment below.

Game on.