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, whereas several players may play in a different mode. 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.
Famous quotes containing the words video game, video and/or game:
“It is among the ranks of school-age children, those six- to twelve-year-olds who once avidly filled their free moments with childhood play, that the greatest change is evident. In the place of traditional, sometimes ancient childhood games that were still popular a generation ago, in the place of fantasy and make- believe play . . . today’s children have substituted television viewing and, most recently, video games.”
—Marie Winn (20th century)
“I recently learned something quite interesting about video games. Many young people have developed incredible hand, eye, and brain coordination in playing these games. The air force believes these kids will be our outstanding pilots should they fly our jets.”
—Ronald Reagan (b. 1911)
“A Stander-by is often a better judge of the game than those that play.”
—Samuel Richardson (1689–1761)