Articles
GameGuy:
The “Keep Your Online Gaming” Edition
By Mark H. Walker
Don’t blind me with science,
especially that of the statistical persuasion. There are 85,155 folks
gaming The Zone as I write this, and 57, 879 players playing Everquest.
But who cares? I haven’t played online this year, and gaming is my
job. Strong marketing and a deluge of massively multiplayer online
games announcements bombard our senses, and if gaming pundits are
to be believed, the Internet and online gaming will soon become the
Mecca of all things game.
But me? I’m not quite ready
to face east and bow before the new religion. Although online gaming’s
future is bright, it is not a blinding nova that eclipses the remainder
of the gaming world. Yeah, fragging a wise ass from Great Britain
is sweet, and the alternate reality of a persistent online universe
is enthralling, but online gaming doesn’t quite stack up to its elder,
single player brother. Hence Internet gaming will continue to grow
with the gaming community, but it will never dominate the industry.
Here’s why.
Why number one: Convenience.
Of course I know online gaming is 7/24, but my gaming comes in spurts
-a half-hour before I get the kids up for school, an hour after I
put them to bed. It takes 5-10 minutes to hook up to Gamespy, enter
a room, and pick up a game of Kohan –let alone play the dang
thing. Conversely, I can resume my Kohan saved campaign in
a couple of minutes and play till the instant before reality calls
me back to parenthood.
Why number two: Story.
People want story, they want their games to sweep them off their feet
and toss them into a new, fantastical world. In most cases it takes
a single player experience to craft that story. Blasting opponents
in Quake II‘s Tokay Towers may be fun, but it doesn’t give
the player a beginning, middle, end, plot surprises, and character
development -in other words, all the components that make a good story.
Yes, it creates a universe –as does Everquest, but the universe
lacks a sense of movement toward ultimate climax and finish.
That climax/finish leads
to why number three: Completion. Despite what the wife says about
my garage, humans are an orderly species. We like to finish what we
start, and often only start projects that we know we can finish. Despite
its immense size, Baldur’s Gate II will end (if you can stay
awake long enough), Asheron’s Call will not. Playing the Call
forever provides no completion, just a boss character.
And you won’t even build
that boss if you have a poor connection. Ever tried to frag someone
using a cable hookup when you are puttering about with your meager
28.8 dial-up connection? Nevertheless, according to recently published
statistics, the most common web speed connection is 33.6, followed
by 28.8. Thanks, but no thanks, I’ll play Unreal Tournament
against the ‘Bots. At least the lag won’t kill me.
For those of you counting,
that brings us to why number five… rudeness. I hate rude people,
and I bet you do too. Yet between the P-killers and jerks, immature
whiners and loudmouths repeatedly typing “LISTEN TO ME,”
Internet gaming is laced with downers. Like anywhere else, most Internet
people are nice, considerate and even kind, but the idiots are plentiful
enough to ruin the best gaming experience. Yet that’s a ruination
absent from offline gaming.
Online gaming has a place
in our world, and it will continue to grow and prosper. From the publishers
point of view online gaming is a serious cash cow, but Internet play
will not dominate the future of our industry. Solo gaming’s combination
of convenience, story, and sense of completion, will make it the choice
of the majority of gamers –gamers that don’t want to hassle with
buying a cable connection or online rudeness, gamers that don’t care
what statistics say, gamers who just want to have fun.
© Mark H. Walker,
LLC 2001
Mark H. Walker is a veteran interactive entertainment
journalist who has written over 40 books including his recently released
Medal of Honor and Wizardry 8 strategy guides.
