I've asked this question on c/gaming, but I'd love to see what KotakuinAction2's members think of this topic:
In an age where every game genre from shooters, strategy, fighting, and racing games are seeing a decreased emphasis on single-player content and in some cases, obstructing the single-player experience through mechanics like forced Internet connections to save progress, I want to ask this community:
Do you think the increased push behind esports and dedication of more resources to it has ruined gaming?
I've noticed that developers have been increasingly neglecting the offline experience and sometimes making some features exclusive to the online modes.
Take how Rockstar stopped adding content to the single-player mode of GTA V, Blizzard and Respawn omitted single-player modes from extremely popular games like Overwatch and Apex Legends, and how racing games like GT7 and the upcoming Forza 2023 are forcing everyone to play online to "prevent cheating", even those that would never touch multiplayer.
Do you think that this has done more damage to gaming in the long run? Do you see things ever trending back toward a more balanced approach where both single player and multiplayer gamers are equally accommodated?
How do you think developers can know that they're alienating a big part of their player base by focusing so extensively if that's how you feel?
Would love to see your thoughts on this topic.
There has been a slow advancing rot in how multiplayer games have worked, too.
Back in the day, you made a server, added it to the community, and there it was, free for you to play on if you wanted. You could lock it with a password to keep it to friends only, or you could leave it up for the masses.
Now you have to rent a server, and there are very little to no custom things you can do in a multiplayer game. At least in the AAA space.
It's all a form of control, and that control isn't really over game fairness, it's about control of your wallet. And that's what sickens me about gaming.
Gaming is still fun, and every now and then, there's a shining beacon in the sea of mediocrity. But more often than not, it's just because that merely okay title lacks the things that make modern gaming horrible, and is more open and accepting of mods, free to set up community servers, lacking an in game shop, etc.
It feels like the old way is dying, and the new way of fleecing you is 'that's just the way it is' even though older games have proven it doesn't have to be. It's just programmed that way now.
Yes, the lack of control for the community due to removal of modding and dedicated servers (which is not a technology problem, perhaps mmo, but even then it is something you don't need a special mainframe, unless it truly is shit code).