Mandatory Online Gaming

Am I the only one who doesn't like online gaming?

I shouldn't say I don't like it, but I certainly don't see the attraction of playing with people I don't know. Maybe that's just me. I would much rather play with my friends, and I don't mean having them at their house while I'm at mine. I want to be in the same room. I bet I'm in the minority, but I really miss split-screen gaming.

Who doesn't have fond memories of playing N64 with their friends all gathered around the same TV? I might be dating myself with a Nintendo 64 reference, so I should throw in X-Box and Playstation as well.

Anyone who remembers multiplayer gaming on the N64 will likely bring up Goldeneye, and I can't disagree that it was a classic, however Perfect Dark was my game of choice. It was like Goldeneye had an upgrade. It was so much fun running around, avoiding your friends/enemies, trying to shoot them before they shot you, and seeing their in-person reactions when you succeeded.

If you weren't a fan of shooting games, probably the next most recognized category would be racing games. I would bet there are very few gaming fans in the world who haven't played Mario Kart at least once at some point in their lives. Once again, I might be in the minority, but despite Mario Kart's draw I was a fan of Diddy Kong Racing. It was very similar to Mario Kart but with different vehicle types. Who wouldn't want to play Mario Kart with planes and hovercrafts? That was basically Diddy Kong Racing. Just like with Perfect Dark, being in the same room to yell at your friends, and seeing live reactions to the on-screen action, can't compare to online voice chats.

Thankfully Nintendo is still a leader in local multiplayer games. Just like N64 in the past, Mario Kart for the Nintendo Switch has 4-player split-screen gaming. The question is how many current generation gamers actually take advantage of this. I've heard kids complain that split-screen gaming makes their piece of the screen too small. I almost have to laugh when I look at a 50" widescreen TV and hear someone say it's too small. Clearly they've never played Nintendo on a 20" tube TV before.

Multiplayer gaming wasn't just about the games. Having friends over was a special occasion, and all the drinks and snacks and fun that went along with the games is something that many current generation gamers are missing out on. Having online gaming friends is kind of like having Facebook friends, where the "friend" part is a very loose definition. Just because you interact with someone does not necessarily make them a friend.

Even if you happen to be playing online with actual friends, how often is your fun interrupted by some random strangers? Games like Grand Theft Auto Online, or maybe Fortnite for the younger readers, can be fun at times but I find that fun disappears as soon as you throw unknown people into the mix. That's why whenever possible I choose private games or invite only games. GTA Online is actually a lot of fun when you don't have some 10 year old you've never met following you around shooting at you. Maybe that's just my experience. All I know is I want control over who I play video games with.

Is this just me? Am I the only one who just wants to play with my friends? It feels like online gaming is being forced on us and I don't like it. I've passed up some pretty amazing looking games simply because I didn't like the thought of always playing online. Titanfall looked incredible until I found out the only game mode was online. Why would I want to constantly play with strangers? I would rather play by myself and have an option to join friends if I felt like it.

In my list of favored game types, I would say single player is at the very top, local multiplayer a close second, and online multiplayer with friends coming in third. Somewhere way down the list is online multiplayer with strangers, and at the very bottom would be online only games. I don't know if this is a generational thing, or maybe I'm just not a very sociable person, but I think we should be able to choose who we play our video games with.