Should Video Games Be Played Online?

Wired Magazine: Why Videogames Should Be Played With Friends, Not Online With Strangers

The author of this article doesn't think so. I just thought it was interesting and I'd love to know what you all think. I've not been a member here for very long, and I've really only had one in-game experience with a guildmate. My home situation (and lack of proper accessory) prevents me from participating, so far, in voice-chat, but I try to chime in where appropriate in guildchat.

The reason I've always enjoyed playing MMO's is precisely because I can't get out to actually game with friends, and I've always been able to make so many more online, from SO many more places and walks of life than I would otherwise. It may be naive of me, but I already consider everyone here a friend, if only in spirit. As I get to talk to more of you I predict (and hope!) these will not become ephemeral relationships of the Internet :)

Sean 

To be perfectly honest, there is room for both.

Not every game needs to be online.  Not every game should be online.  But that does not mean that online games should not exist.

The real problem is that far too many companies are trying to make everything be online, instead of simply agreeing that sometimes you don't need online... or that sometimes a hotseat or lan option is wonderful to have.  *Having had the occasional lan party, it is amazing just how many games you can't play just over a lan.*

As far as people online and how they act, well, there are always going to be people online that just aren't fun to be around.  There will also be really cool people who go out of their way to make things better.  Some people you get to know, and might even spend some time with outside games.

So no.  We shouldn't abandon online play simply because we can't see the people we are playing with.  Having more options to play with people in the same room, however, is something I am all for.

It also depends on the type of game. 

For instance, sports and racing games are fun to play together in the same room.  My old friends and I still fire up the Nintendo once I awhile to battle in Super Mario Kart like in the old days. 

On the other hand, I don't think an MMO is very conducive to having a bunch of people playing together lol. 

This article strikes me more as a nostalgia piece than anything else really.  You can just as easily say that instead of Facebook and Instagram and Twitter that people need to meet up more and have dinner together.  We just live in a different digital age than what we grew up in.

I'm not saying it's not fun to play video games together with your friends.  I think for a lot of us, that's what we grew up doing.  But technology has changed so much that I don't think people want to make that effort anymore.

Here is an interesting video that speaks to this topic.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=14 ... 79&fref=nf

I agree with Jairone and everyone else probably does too but, this video is still a great reminder not to neglect friends and family that are not on-line gamers and stay open to the real world advantages of life!

Also there is a game of note that has multiple ways to play.

Shroud of the Avatar

 "Play options will include solo, friends only, or open multiplayer via the Selective Multiplayer system."

Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues - E3 2014 Trailer:

http://youtu.be/vo2_QDNO_V0

My family and I have played GW, GW2, and SWTOR online _together_. How's that for confusing the situation even more? :)

I don't even agree with the idea that this should be limited by gametype. Imagine a world where every game you know had online capability. Would this reduce the amount of times had with friends bonding over a 1v1 or a LAN. For some maybe but a lot of it depends on the type of game. For example I would never play mario party online... or by myself really, but one of my greatest memories was playing with three of my buds at the end of a b-day celebration at 4am with a round of that game and a round of other things....

The arcade issue was brought up in the initial article. Typically when you think arcade you think fighting games and dancing games. Im sorry but even with internet play available those two are still genres I will be playing with my friends side by side. It's cool practicing vs AI but internet play? Some people prefer it but it's not my cup of tea.

Next topic, first person shooters. I'm not sure if everyone has had a group of friends all interested in something like a party purely for Team vs Team but the LAN parties I had with HALO were amazing. We actually had a group of sixteen that would meet up, tvs, xbox's and all, and have all night team battles with bar type for galore. And for this I will say the availability to have quick matches online has cut into the amount of LAN parties I've had or haven't had in the past, but I can't completely say that was due to the availability of high speed internet vs everyone moving on with their lives. Most probably more of the latter.

Rock band/guitar hero: Internet is fun, doing a 6 hour rockathon with buddies more fun. Nuff said.

MMORPG... or just rpg. Yeah... id much rather play any game in this genre online than with friends... though i have done it with friends in the same room. Me and my college room-mate were the healers in Wow for a solid 10man guild group. He threw a pringles can at my head once for something I said... I can't remember what it was but the rest of the guild laughed at me for a while after that as it was during a raid... and on vent. All they heard was like "****, sals bleeding, that can got him good".

Social community. A lot of people go different ways on this but I have always thought a guild was like a family. Sadly all my previous ones have slowly disbanded but I still have memories of the good times, even met a few members in person. For me, i've never worried too much about internet security. This is due to both my faith in other people (probably misdirected most the time) and the fact that I am physically intemidating. Seriously, most people are skittish when they meet me. Though afterwards im the friend that the big ginormous cuddly teddy bear. Anywho, because of my tendancy to not care, I would be more relaxed and myself in the online world. I got to say, if it wasn't for my online guildmated I had through high school and college, I don't think I would be here today. I think the trick to that was me finding not just a guild, but a family.

Anywho, that got more in depth than I wanted to originally so in closing i'll sum up my long drawn out point. Internet gaming is a thing. For some games are worse for it and some better. But its the person that makes the social difference. That sentence sound dumb but hopefully y'all get what im trying to say. 

You stay classy Gaiscioch

Heh the old 'write a letter instead of just emailing' argument there.

Personally I greatly enjoy the friends I've made in online games and a lot of times I know them as well, if not better, than my "Real Life" friends.  Plus honestly I do not have the time nor desire to come home after work, change, and go to someone's house or have friends over for gaming.  Online gaming means I don't have to brave black ice and I can wear my comfy footed PJ's and still look mostly like an adult :P

There is no problem with any form of gaming discussed in any type of game as long as you balance your life to incorporate personal interaction and any other type.