Episode 12 – Alone

Tennis For Two is considered to be the first video game. It was very simple and was designed for two people to play a game on a screen together. That was 1958. By 1972 the first console had hit the market and by 1977 the Atari 2600 had hit the streets putting more video games in homes than ever before… until the Nintendo Entertainment System.

When the videogame moved into homes in 1972 it took over televisions. No longer did little Billy sit at home, watch TV and do nothing, he could sit at home and play videogames. Yes, almost since its inception the playing of video games has been a private thing. Something you did alone, to remember and say you accomplished it.

I have no problem with this. I like being able to make mistakes as I learn a game. I don’t want to make it a public spectacle. It gives you more of a sense of accomplishment when you beat a game for the first time. It’s something you did. Just you. You saved the princess! Congratulations!

Many video games to this day are way more fun to play alone. And many were designed with only one player in mind. Mega Man isn’t very fun if you have to pass the controller back and forth now is it? It’s also the reason why video game consoles started off with only two controller ports. A video game is meant to be something private. You go out to the movies to see and interact with people, but you stay in and play videogames when you just want to be alone.

Here’s the way I see it. Single player video games are all about the story and the adventure. No matter how simple or complex. It may be as simple as saving a princess, but it’s a ride you get to go on for a few hours. You get to make decisions for your character and you get to experience that world. It takes your mind off of everything going on in your social environment and allows you to just play.

Video games, as an art, and a form of speech practically demand a good story. With the ability to do so much more with developing characters, and making games so much longer than they ever have before, we will really be able to live some great stories. That’s more than you can say about movies or books. You cant live an experience in a movie; all you can do is watch.

Choosing the order to play each Mega Man level was your choice. Choosing which weapon you wanted to have in Halo is your choice. Choosing what car you drive in Forza is your choice. The entire nature of this industry is based around the single player experience. It’s the reason why there were only 2 ports for controllers back in the day. Hell, there still were only two ports on the PS2.

Now this whole play online thing is being shoved down our throats. Every game produced for the 360 is Live aware. It is a requirement. Not only to see what you’ve done in each game in the form of accomplishments but also in multiplayer. I don’t want to play multiplayer. I want to sit on my ass, not talk to anyone and possibly throw a controller if I get really frustrated. (It’s a time honored tradition, I’m allowed.) Reading reviews I hear people complaining about the multiplayer of this or that. I don’t care about them. It’s not as if you can open the box and jump into the multiplayer aspect anyway. You still need to learn the controls. But what about the important things? How is the story? How are the characters?

Crimson Skies was one of my favorite games for the Xbox. It has “Best Xbox Live Game” written right on the cover. I didn’t buy it to play online. I bought it to follow the story; to be the air pirate and try and save America. At the end of the day video games help you become other people. They allow you to immerse yourself in another world, weather it be Mega Man’s alternate future, Crimson Skies alternate past, or some crazy street racing scene in Need for Speed. You get to take the time to escape from other people, and work, and relationships and just enjoy yourself.

Tomorrow I flip the coin… because I’m evil like that.