Single-player video game

This article is about the video gaming term. For single-player card games, see Solitaire.

A single-player video game is a video game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. "Single-player game" usually implies a game that can only be played by one person, while "single-player mode" usually refers to a game mode for a single player, where several players may play in a different mode.^[1] The earliest video games, such as Tennis for Two, Spacewar!, and Pong, were two-player, with single-player games gaining popularity soon after with titles such as Speed Race and Space Invaders. In 1978, the first multiplayer role-playing games, known as MUDs, were created. The early 1990s introduced many games which utilized local area networks and null modems for multiplayer mode. Doom is a notable example of one such game.

The major selling points of larger single-player games are interesting storylines, impressive graphics, and realistic non-player characters and opponents. Notable examples include action-adventure games such as The Legend of Zelda, platform games such as Mario and Sonic, stealth games such as Metal Gear, survival horror such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill, and first-person shooters such as Doom, Half-Life and Deus Ex. Selling points of the smaller games are low learning curve and availability (many are free to play on various sites).

Certain game genres are inherently oriented towards single-player in their design. Such genres include puzzle games, such as Tetris, and plot-based role-playing games (RPGs), such as Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. Recent additions to these genres, such as the massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) or online multiplayer versions of Tetris, are serving to undo this trend.

The vast majority of modern console games and arcade games are designed so that they can be played by a single player; although many of these games have modes that allow two or more players to play (not necessarily simultaneously), very few actually require more than one player for the game to be played. The Unreal Tournament series is an example of such.

See also

• Multiplayer video game
• List of video gaming topics

References

1. ^ Oosterhuis, Kas; Feireiss, Lukas (March, 2006). The Architecture Co-laboratory: Game Set and Match II : on Computer Games, Advanced Geometries, and Digital Technologies. Delft: Delft University of Technology. p. 180. ISBN 9059730364. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=tXBdOoZ-faYC&pg=RA2-PA108&dq=single+player+simulations#PRA2-PA108,M1.