Solo vs. online gaming: pros and cons of each

[Cirrus]

This is intended to be a poll of how people feel about solo vs. online gaming. Personally, I have given online gaming a shot, and while it has its merits, I cannot stand it. However, I am only really considering MMORPGs, and not so much online fighters, online action games, etc... Those are fine, but Ultima Online, Everquest, and others seem to really define online gaming for most.

Online gaming:

Pros

PRO #1: Variety. You are likely to never have exactly the same experience twice with an MMORPG.

PRO #2: Actual personalities. You get to deal with real people who can (conceivably) react with truly human emotion and intellect.

Cons

CON #1: Lack of variety. Many of the games end up with a lot of chopping wood, collecting herbs, and dealing with the same things over and over. Consider Runescape. Okay, I am sorry, you can stop considering Runescape now.

CON #2: The actual personalities themselves. A large portion of those who sign up for many MMORPGs are 13 years old, or act that age. I think a 21 and over (non-pornographic) game should be considered. I won't hold my breath.

CON #3: Upkeep. You generally need to pay a monthly (UO, Everquest) or yearly (xbox live) rate to even play these games. Isn't buying the game and it's expansions enough? You are already paying for the internet connection, presumably. I realize that servers need to be maintained, but I sort of like the idea of being able to transfer real money into game money, through paypal. That way, if you wanted a quick boost in resources, you would be supporting the site as well. Also, this would help to cut down on the 13 year olds player-killing all over the place. I would also be willing to initially pay a large amount for the game itself, just as long as I never have to pay an upkeep to merely play the game.

CON #4: Impermanence. Someday, there will be no Ultima Online. The realms of Everquest will exist only on small, private servers. For many, that is a hard reality. It's somewhat comforting for me, but I'm sure there will be many others replacing it.

CON #5: Addictiveness. I've managed to avoid this, thankfully, but from what I have heard, some people will go weeks without socializing due to many of these games. Now, I know this can happen with Solo games as well. The incidence seems a bit higher in this category.

Solo Gaming

Pros

PRO #1: Variety. This category of gaming has a great deal more variety than MMORPGs. Consider how many more games are available to be played by yourself.

PRO #2: Permanence: My SNES sits on it's cabinet. I could toss Panzer Dragoon Saga into my Saturn and play it any time. Dr. Mario won't be dead someday. He'll still be throwing pills.

PRO #3: No upkeep! I don't have to give a dollar to play Star Ocean 2. It's already been purchased. If I want to stop playing for 2 years, I can start back up without a second thought.

PRO #4: Depth. Let's face it. When you have a canvas that won't ever move or have to change, you can paint a much more beautiful picture.

Cons

CON #1: Lack of human interaction. But perhaps that's sometimes a good thing. However, solo gaming can keep us from actually communicating with others. MMORPGs at least force us to interact with real people.


Well, that's it. I can't think of anything else wrong with Solo gaming. I'm sure you guys can.

For the most part, I don't even consider MMORPGs/online gaming a true part of the gaming spectrum. It is relatively new (aside from old BBS goodness), and it seems to appeal to a fairly young video game crowd. Like I mentioned, an online game is always changing, and will never be complete, and in fact, will die someday.

Pardon me if this has already been discussed on the forums. I am pretty new here. Please post your thoughts, especially more pros and cons.

[Mr.FoodMonster]

By only talking about MMORPG's in the Online Gaming portion, you are missing a LARGE majority of games. Counterstrike, anyone? I also know a few of the more recent racing games have online components (talking PC mainly here) as well as RTS games. Although, a lot of the topics go over to them, just pointing some stuff out to concider.

[Cirrus]

I agree. A good part of online gaming is action oriented, less involved games. While Counterstrike can be a long-term commitment, it is not nearly as involved as Ultima Online, Everquest, or the like. It does, however, still have the chance of dying, if interest disappears in the game itself. You could still make a point of connecting with friends and playing, but it would be a different experience, and possibly less of one, especially if you don't have very many friends that play CS.

[grayrobertos]

For me online gaming wil allways be pc based. If youve got a speced out pc theres no reason to play online games on your console. Most fps benifit from a keyboard and mouse interface. Also the patches and things required make it better all round to use a pc. and a console for single palyer games that make use of a gud pad. Ive never understood the point of online console gaming? Wen you could use a PC? Can anyone explain?

[Cirrus]

Ive never understood the point of online console gaming? Wen you could use a PC? Can anyone explain?

I suppose this is because a console is a lot more accessible than a really nice PC. It is a heck of a lot cheaper and easier to use, too.

[Cirrus]

I should add that I wouldn't touch console online gaming with a 10 foot pole. At this point, PC online gaming is much better, IMO.

[grayrobertos]

I dunno if you shop around you should never really be paying more for a PC than a console if you allready have a monitor and keyboard etc. Simply upgrading ur board and processor will be cheaper all of the time. But most people will just buy a 1000 pc from pc world.

[Ze_ro]

Sounds like a pretty decent run-down of the two types of play... just a few things I thought I'd add.

Online gaming:

PRO #1: Variety. You are likely to never have exactly the same experience twice with an MMORPG.

This isn't necessarily limited just to online games. There are plenty of RPG/Adventure games out there with the ability to create random dungeons and environments (NetHack being a shining example of this). It's rather unfortunate that there aren't more popular games that do this, since todays hardware should be able to handle it with ease.

PRO #2: Actual personalities. You get to deal with real people who can (conceivably) react with truly human emotion and intellect.

Again, this is something that is entirely possible in off-line games. The only limit to the depth of an NPC's personality is the time/ability that the programmer spends on it. There are plenty of games out there where character will change their reaction to you based on your reputation (Granted, not as many as there probably SHOULD be).

CON #2: The actual personalities themselves. A large portion of those who sign up for many MMORPGs are 13 years old, or act that age. I think a 21 and over (non-pornographic) game should be considered. I won't hold my breath.

ie, people who quit a game when things aren't going there way, or who refuse to work as a team, or taunt you mercilessly with 1337 sp34k. Not to mention people who cheat with (seemingly) no remorse about it. What's the point in playing if you're just going to use an aimbot or a wallhack? It's not even a game at that point.

CON #1: Lack of variety. Many of the games end up with a lot of chopping wood, collecting herbs, and dealing with the same things over and over. Consider Runescape. Okay, I am sorry, you can stop considering Runescape now.

I definitely agree with this one. I used to play Republic Online, and the whole game just became far too tedious for my tastes. It got to the point where the guy running the game started changing the economics just so that it would take people longer to build up their money. Great. As if the game wasn't boring enough before, now everything is just stretched out over three times as long a period.

The other really bad side of this that you didn't really touch on is that the tedium ends up generating people who spend their entire lives playing the game, and have amassed so much money/power/frags/etc that you'll never ever catch up to them. I suppose in theory you're not supposed to compete directly with the highest ranked players, but it's still rather intimidating. Worse yet, there are plenty of games out there that give you an advantage if you pay more money, which pretty much assures that the game will be unbalanced in favor of whoever has the most money to waste.

Solo Gaming CON #1: Lack of human interaction. But perhaps that's sometimes a good thing. However, solo gaming can keep us from actually communicating with others. MMORPGs at least force us to interact with real people.

Actually, I would argue that (depending on the game), offline gaming provides MORE human interaction. Frankly, I'd much rather trash-talk with three friends on the sofa in front of the TV than typing "OMG! you fag!" on a keyboard or messing around with headsets and junk. Granted, you're comparing solo gaming to online gaming, and in this case I'm talking about offline multi-player (ie, Mario Kart or Goldeneye or whatever)... but it's still worth mentioning.

For me, the real kicker is the monthly charge. For that money, I could just buy entire new games each month to add to a growing collection. How much are you going to end up spending on Ultima Online after a few years? Sheer economics I suppose, but it's always in the back of my head when I consider stuff like this.

--Zero

[Cirrus]

Zero wrote: This isn't necessarily limited just to online games. There are plenty of RPG/Adventure games out there with the ability to create random dungeons and environments (NetHack being a shining example of this).

That is a good point. I wasn't really considering NetHack, Rogue, and the like. (Others include Torneko's Dungeon, and a ton of good RPGs on the PSX with random dungeons.) I suppose that between the two categories of games, however, a larger percentage of onlline games have this dynamic aspect.

Again, this is something that is entirely possible in off-line games. The only limit to the depth of an NPC's personality is the time/ability that the programmer spends on it.

As for this, I was referring to actual human interaction. There is something special about knowing you are interacting with a real person, which only online gaming (aside from side by side multiplayer) can offer. However, there is something even more special about playing a solo game and forgetting that it is not real.

For that money, I could just buy entire new games each month to add to a growing collection.

Exactly.

[whoisKeel]

well, they BOTH have their place. i stay far, far, far, far ,far away from mmorpg's but i've played a good bit of quake3 and ut online...and there's just NOTHING like an fps online...i hate them single player, but online they're awesome.

nothing beats owning peeps on a good online server and realizing you're not that bad at all....and on the same token, nothing beats realizing that you don't stand up well to the public when you think you're good because you can beat your friends.

sure, online games die, but they're sure as hell fun while they last.

[SkiDragon]

Well, if you like multiplayer games, specifically RPGs, and you dont want to pay a fee.....

There's always Secret of Mana. And probably a few other similar games that I may or may not be aware of.

[Stark]

Well I'm not sure what exactly the point of this solo vs online gaming is so I'll make one for you.

The point should be which is more fun and which do you spend more time with?

Both types are very different experiences so they really cannot be compared.

Online gameplay (multiplayer gaming included here) is with or against real human beings using their knowledge of the game to compete with your knowledge of the game all at the same time. Chatting with real people during that time (even if they act stupid) makes a world of difference compared to solo play.

Playing a game at home by yourself pits you against the computer or console and if you have a mirror in front of you during that time you can then talk to yourself otherwise as you can see it is completely different from online play.
Play to either win the game or get 100% completion and move on to the next one.

Paying monthly fees to play online ensures a regular supply of new content such as new maps, new lands to explore, new items, and most importantly new people to play with.

With solo type games you are pretty much limited to whats on the disc (not always) so when you get it it stays the same as intended meaning no new content for you.

Now which is more fun?- There is no right answer here since everyone has their own opinion.
Which do you spend more of your free time with? For me its online games but for you? Again no right answer.

[jdc]

I prefer offline gaming. The type of people that you meet online since the popularity has risen has changed. I'm tired of running into l337 speaking spoil sports with false God complexes. People quit out if they aren't doing well. I can see the online portion of Gran Turismo 4 being nothing more than bumper car races with morons that can't handle a clean race.

[The Brown Eye]

I prefer offline gaming, just for the simple fact that I can't stand talking on the phone, over the mic, etc. I'm more of an "in person" kind of guy.

What it comes down to is would I rather have a few people over, order a pizza, etc., or talk with some strangers who tell me, "HAHA I KILLED YOU DEAD YOU FAG." Although both can be enjoyable, there's really no contest.

[Beefy Hits]

I don't think PC based online gaming is the only way.

Pros: Wide selection of games
More players

Cons: High cost. In most cases, dial-up isn't good enough for pc games. Depending on where you live, BB can be $10-60 more a month.The upkeep for new hardware and graphics cards every few years can be very high.

Stability. Computers are more complicated machines than consoles, with more parameters conflicting with each other. I know people that have the PS2 version of FFXI because it is more stable than the PC version.

I like console online games much better. Its cheaper, there are more games besides MMOs and FPS (like fighters). One gripe I have is that there are much fewer MMOs on consoles.

You do bring up good points that the games have limited lifespans. Look at the DC online games. You can't play those anymore as far as I know. No chu chu rocker or Bomberman Online.

As far as social interaction goes, it's limited now. When video and speech are more common, that'll change that. I found that online interactions don't stick as well as face to face.

True, there are lots of 13 year olds on, but if you browse allakhazam boards, you will find many 20+ year olds on. Strange how everybody who posts sez they're 20something, while most of the people you meet online are teenagers tho.

[grayrobertos]

^ wouldnt the cost of online gameing via a PC and console be more expensive on the console? Because u would need a subscription fee ie live onto of a Broadband fee?

[bargora]

For me online gaming wil allways be pc based. If youve got a speced out pc theres no reason to play online games on your console. Most fps benifit from a keyboard and mouse interface. Also the patches and things required make it better all round to use a pc. and a console for single palyer games that make use of a gud pad. Ive never understood the point of online console gaming? Wen you could use a PC? Can anyone explain?

Steel Battalion: Line of Contact. The controller is three feet wide with ~40 buttons/toggles/switches and two joysticks, plus footpedals. And you need an Xbox and Live to play it.

In the future, mechs are not piloted with keyboards.

[Berserker]

Here's another issue I didn't see mentioned - Commitment.

Most MMORPG's require a HUGE time commitment if you expect to get into the high-end areas of the game. Everquest requires months of play(assuming no one's helping you) to get anywhere near the high-end, and even then, if you want to face the very end-parts of the game, you're almost certainly going to need to join an "uberguild" made up of dedicated players, who often won't accept you if you don't play for at least 4-6+ hours a day.

I'd say depending on how you look at it, that can be either a pro or a con. For instance, if you find yourself either unwilling or unable to buy all kinds of various games, putting your time into just one game with a monthly fee could end up saving you some money. This was how I looked at it for a long time, but I ended up eventually needing more than just one game, perhaps it was that coupled with the fact that the whole experience was starting to feel stagnant, so I left.

[Cirrus]

Yeah, I see that as well. It's pretty much an area of gaming that can't be touched. I mean, you are paying for each month of service. There is a feeling of "getting your money's worth."

A good idea would be to sell time by the hour, as an option. I might even play a few of these in that case. I'm sure it would make sense for the companies to offer.

[jdc]

Yeah, that's another thing for sure. I was one of the first to roam the world of Vana'diel in Final Fantasy XI. I played it every day for several months, making myself not play into the wee hours of the morning. The demands of the game grew rather high. Every time that you logged on you HAD to find a full, balanced party.....or you couldn't DO anything. Solo was useless after a point. They should have made the game more lenient towards solo play and not so team-based.

I walked away and scrapped my character. All that time invested for naught. At least the harddrive was worth the purchase of the game. I met some great people too. Now that it's winter maybe I'll create a new character and play it with less intensity.

They sure do rob you of time with other offline games.