5. Multiplayer, Multiplayer, Multiplayer
Gaming as a medium has an addiction. It has been an addiction that has gone from entirely healthy to blood-suckingly draining during this generation of gaming. Once a great addition to a game that promised us the next step in our future and how we interact with each other, now is starting to drain the industry with little to nothing to show for it. This addiction is multiplayer. Multiplayer gaming has been some of the most meaningful and immersive experiences, not just in my gaming but in my life. Strengthening friendships and making me a better storyteller are some of the things that have made me sure of the power of gaming. You don't need to convince me multiplayer has a big part to play in the medium's future. However, I do think there is a problem with how publishers have been treating it. Not having the confidence to believe in games that are trying to shape meaningful single player experiences is hurting. This has seen either ill-concieved, shoe-horned multiplayer experiences or simply great single-player-only games that never get published. I can sympathise with a company's position, saying that audience members want multiplayer experiences. But that isn't entirely true. Audiences want Call of Duty, Battlefield and Halo. If a game isn't designed as well, as addictive, as competitive, as well supported and have as dedicated a staff to purely multiplayer experiences, it isn't going to out Call of Duty Call of Duty. Player don't just want multiplayer experiences for the sake of multiplayer experiences. Nobody plays underdeveloped multiplayer and the single player game will have undoubtedly suffered from the shifted resources. Gamers are starting to show with games how much we are willing to put our money down for great single player games like Bioshock Infinite and Skyrim. There is no need to tack on a multiplayer addition that will may well drag your great game down to a mediocre one.