The gaming industry has had exponential growth over the past ten years. Long gone is the image of kids in their bedroom playing Super Mario Bros and Street Fighter. Video games have gone mainstream, and everyone from athletes to tech gurus are playing them — on consoles, computers or, now more than ever, from mobile devices and tablets. The sector is bigger, and better, than it’s ever been — with developers, from indies to the top brands, releasing new content all the time.
Video games have become so popular in fact, that they’re statistically the most popular and profitable forms of entertainment. In 2017, the gaming industry generated a massive revenue of $116 billion. In comparison, TV as well as TV streaming services made $105 billion, the movie industry made $41 billion and music made $17 billion. And while historically films have been adapted into games, games are now being adapted for film — during 2016 film studios released adaptations of both Assassin’s Creed and Angry Birds.
There are variations in genre, style of play and visuals across video games. But one of the biggest choices players make when it comes to selecting a game has to be between single and multiplayer options — two varying styles of play with unique advantages and disadvantages to each.
Here are some of the similarities and differences between both types of games — and some of the most popular gaming titles that fall into these two categories.
The multiplayer vs. single-player gaming experience
The main difference between multiplayer and single-player games is pretty obvious. Multiplayer games are played online live with other people, and single-player games are played alone. For fans of either, there’s an incredible amount of choice — and many games are available to play in single or multiplayer modes. One thing of the things a player needs to consider when presented with the choice between multiplayer and single-player games is what kind of gaming experience they want to have.
Multiplayer games offer an incredible social experience for players. There’s nothing like being able to sign into a game at any time of day or evening and play with friends – some you know in real life and others from you may have met online – from around the world, all through your console. Most multiplayer games offer live chatting options through a headset, which means you can talk to other gamers during gameplay.
Being able to play with others can also increase the excitement and competition levels of a game. While you are faced with challenges, including quests and battles against avatars depending on the game, there’s nothing like knowing you’ve won against a real life player; alternatively, completing a difficult task with the help of your online friends. Some of the best multiplayer games over the years include Rocket League, Minecraft, Fortnite and Overwatch.
There are many advantages that come with choosing to play to single-player games too. These days, many single-player games are built as full story experiences to be enjoyed — almost like a more immersive film. As in this type of game, players lack the social element of playing with friends in, developers really need to consider the storyline, characters and overall gaming experience. Many people enjoy being able to engross themselves in a well-crafted story and complete missions and enjoy interacting with other characters at their leisure.
Single-player games also do not suffer from issues that arise with multiplayer games. These include online latency (otherwise known as lags) as well as the different personalities that you might encounter on the internet, including trolls. Many single-player games also benefit from not having the costs associated with multiplayer gaming, like yearly subscriptions for online multiplayer services.
Some of the best single-player games released over the past few years include The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Red Dead Redemption 2, Spider Man and Assassins Creed: Origins.
Multiplayer casino games
The popularity of both single-player and multiplayer games has extended into the online casino game market. There are an incredible amount of single player games on the many casino websites that now exists. Slots, for example, is traditionally a single player game that is enjoyed by many people who like to have a go at the online lever and try their luck.
As in real life casinos, however, there are many more options when it comes to multiplayer games. The casino experience, traditionally, was a very social one — which is why it makes sense that it’s been replicated in the online space with so many options for multiplayer casino games. These include everything from poker, to roulette blackjack and of course, bingo.
There’s been a proliferation of bingo online, with Bingoport and many other websites promoting the traditional casino game’s internet version. One of the reasons that bingo is so great as a multiplayer game is the bingo community which has fuelled its popularity for so many years. There’s such a fun atmosphere in a bingo hall; this atmosphere is recreated online through incredible graphics, sounds, animations and prizes for its players. And with so many forums and live chats available during gameplay, you can still experience the best that bingo has to offer on your favourite bingo sites UK.
Online bingo players also get the benefit of promotions. These include sign up offers (like no deposit plays and bonuses) as well as various reward schemes and loyalty programmes to take part in — which aren’t regularly offered by land-based casinos. These promotions really add to the atmosphere and fun of multiplayer bingo online, and are a great opportunity to increase your chances of winning.
Into the future
It’s likely that both multiplayer and single-player games will continue to see success over the next decade. With so many exciting technologies available to developers — and a continued demand from consumers — the gaming revolution has only just gotten started.