Ok, so I'm not talking about me personally and how depressing my "ménage et un" sex life is. :cry:

No.

What I'm considering is the dilemma which must face game developers. "Do we include online multi-player gaming?"

I imagine it is a difficult position to be in as a developer. On one hand with games retailing for around £40.00 here in the UK ($60.00 in the US) the cost of buying a new title isn't cheap and as consumers we want to know that we are getting value for money. One the other hand there is the expense involved in creating the online element and running the servers.

In recent years the popularity of online console gaming has exploded (quite literally) into a multi-million pound/dollar/yen/euro* market. Games such as Halo 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare laid down the foundations of what can be achieved on the current generation of consoles and the industry hasn't looked back. Killzone 2, Left for Dead 1&2, Uncharted 2, Battlefield: Bad Company, Motorstorm: Pacific Rift and of course Modern Warfare 2 (to name but a few) have all thrilled us and entertained us months, even years after we've finished the single player campaign.

Two years ago I was quite happy to pay £40.00 for my 8-10 hours of game play but now I'm not so keen unless it's an AAA title. With our expectations raised and our desire to blow the stuffing out of our friends or see them speed off a cliff at 100mph after a "helping" nudge have we become a little spoilt or do we expect too much of developers?

Perhaps the real issue is price. If some games do not offer all the extras that we now look for why should we pay the same amount as those that do?

Is the day of the single player only game coming to an end?

I don't have all the answers to my own questions. Games that are great will always be well received but you will inevitably read somewhere "(insert developer) has missed a great opportunity by not adding online multiplayer" if one hasn't been included.

I suppose time will tell.

Until that day comes see you online……:D

MrNoddy

*my wallet is multi-cultural when it comes to currency