Massive generational gap: Gen Z flocks to multiplayer, while 55+ sticks to single-player

[godrilla]

Raise your hand if you participate in this survey? Techspot should do a internal survey to see what the delta for objective reasons.
Update I remember my statistics professor used to run his own studies to find out any statistical differences with his P values for grants. When I did clinicals with him he had a bigger office then the director.

 

[llamapanda]

If I wanted to be competitive with people and not get paid for it I'd just try harder at work. Outside of the real-world tasks of keeping house and paying bills, I'd rather be spending my free time having more sedate single-player or co-op experiences rather than using energy I don't have trying to keep up with kids and their faster reflexes on twitch-games.

And that's before complaining that my eyesight can't keep up with the improvements in graphics tech that makes it a lot harder to see the enemy in (and therefore takes a lot of the found out of) an FPS than the blocky simplicity of Q3A and UT99 afforded 'back in my day'.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

A lot of good points in here about free time/income/etc.

40yo male who grew up playing videogames. Am married with children now.

To add a couple more points: video games time would have otherwise have been TV time for me, so I still want to follow a story or a narrative even though I am gaming instead of passively watching TV. This pushes me to single player games.

As far as couch co-op is concerned, I love it, but other than my kids I don't really have anyone else to couch co-op with. I know a couple adults that game similarly to me, but if I invite them over we're gonna have some beers and grill and the wives and kids and everyone will come with. It's not really a "sit and game" kind of social situation.

Couch co-op games really only come in the "side scrolling beat-em-up/shooter variety too. No split screen FPS games, no Mario party esq games. After beating castle crashers and a lot of Battle block theater everyone in the fam was just sort of over couch-co-op games.

 

[dirtyferret]

So much butt hurt by these results....it's wonderful

 

[GintTech]

I'm 28, I tend to fluctuate between PvP and Single Player but specifically I mostly play 1v1 PvP games (mostly fighting games), that or something like deathmatch game modes where people don't really care what the other members of their team are doing if there's teams at all.

 

[ZedRM]

Desire by the gaming public for a Single player experience will never disappear. Playing with friend and others can be a lot of fun, but it will never replace a well crafted single player adventure/action/story experience.

 

[Starfals]

Lol o rly? All the old people playing COD and MMOs say differently
Plus it just sounds like a fake thing to say. Everyone I know also play singleplayer games as well. Also tons of people on steam and battlenet. Like millions. Even minecraft is full of oldie people now. Creepy cus there are kids there too lol

 

[Rapob]

As you get older, you realize how stupid PVP is....

Because killing a NPC is sooo much fun and just makes sense right!

Most people who thinks PVP is stupid, simply suck at it.

I can easily enjoy both. Mostly PVP tho, because PVE only gets kinda boring. I typically end up around 3-4 KD in shooters maybe that is why I am enjoying it... Dominating other players is just way more fun than killing NPCs.

 

[Rudyduu]

Bullshit

From the vast amount of data you've presented you've got to be right and the objective data is just wrong.

 

[Rudyduu]

Because killing a NPC is sooo much fun and just makes sense right!

Most people who thinks PVP is stupid, simply suck at it.

I can easily enjoy both. Mostly PVP tho, because PVE only gets kinda boring. I typically end up around 3-4 KD in shooters maybe that is why I am enjoying it... Dominating other players is just way more fun than killing NPCs.

Gaming is very subjective. It takes a lot more patience than I have to play the same map over and over again to learn the game well enough to not get stomped all the time. Having to spend months playing an hour or more a day before I can actually enjoy the game is a lot less enjoyable for me than a game where the difficulty is more predictable and I can do more than play for a couple of minutes at a time before I need to wait to respawn.

I'm loving Satisfactory now that it's finally out of early release. One of the best games I've ever played. Tital Fall 2 is still my all-time favorite game, though as it's the only game where I've beat it at every difficulty level back-to-back just because the game is that much fun.

 

[Rapob]

Gaming is very subjective. It takes a lot more patience than I have to play the same map over and over again to learn the game well enough to not get stomped all the time. Having to spend months playing an hour or more a day before I can actually enjoy the game is a lot less enjoyable for me than a game where the difficulty is more predictable and I can do more than play for a couple of minutes at a time before I need to wait to respawn.

I'm loving Satisfactory now that it's finally out of early release. One of the best games I've ever played. Tital Fall 2 is still my all-time favorite game, though as it's the only game where I've beat it at every difficulty level back-to-back just because the game is that much fun.

Well, some people learn new maps in a very short time, it is not a problem for me at all. Most games sticks to the most popular maps anyway.

I play both SP and MP, and would hate if I had to choose. I don't want to kill stupid computer controlled characters all the time. Boring really.

 

[ZedRM]

Because killing a NPC is sooo much fun and just makes sense right!

Most people who thinks PVP is stupid, simply suck at it.

I can easily enjoy both. Mostly PVP tho, because PVE only gets kinda boring. I typically end up around 3-4 KD in shooters maybe that is why I am enjoying it... Dominating other players is just way more fun than killing NPCs.

And that statement proves only a lack of understanding.

 

[Rapob]

And that statement proves only a lack of understanding.

Not really. I do well in both SP and MP.

Are you another SP casual that are scared of MP because you get dominated?

What else is new. People hate what they don't understand, or suck at.

 

[waclark]

I thought it is a general knowledge, younger people prefer competitive online gaming, then when they get older, they spend more time in single player games.
Not just gen z, this trend will go on further.

It's a general misconception. Competitive players will play competitive games no matter how old they get. I'm 67, I play competitive games online nearly 100%. The only single player games I play are usually phone games because I am somewhere waiting on an appointment or it's just not feasible to break out a laptop or a handheld for online gaming.

 

[waclark]

Desire by the gaming public for a Single player experience will never disappear. Playing with friend and others can be a lot of fun, but it will never replace a well crafted single player adventure/action/story experience.

I don't know about mp replacing sp games, but gaming almost by definition is a multiplayer experience. Other than solitaire, I don't know of too many games (non-video) that are single player. Video games gave us the ability to play against the computer, so even in that regard they are "multiplayer", just one of the players isn't human.

I think this survey/study missed the opportunity to understand why some older people gravitate to single player games. I think for some older people you just don't have the time to devote to multiplayer games as they can require a bit of grinding. Also, some mp games can be toxic and us old folks don't have time to waste on some pre-pubescent ***** in in-game chat or voice acting like a fool. Last but not least some of us like to be outdoors when we can because we've been cooped up in an office for 8-10 hours a day and sitting around playing on a computer, sp or mp, while it's a beautiful sunny day just isn't all that interesting anymore.

 

[MakeMSGreatAgain]

I quite like both SP and MP when they are done well... I really enjoyed the single player experiences in Battlefield 2, 3, and 4, and also played tons of MP. I enjoyed both on the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series of games, but I played a lot more single player, and MP was only at LAN parties, which was still tons of fun. GTA 4 and 5 were both great SP, and I didn't care for the MP on 5 at all. Same with the earlier Delta Force games, Land Warrior was great on both SP and MP. Same for Quake 1 and 2. Some other MP only games like Quake 3 were fun in their own way but didn't keep me as consumed. I tend to like equal parts in quality but if it isn't going to be even then make the SP more focused.

 

[alexnode]

I am an old gamer and I play solo games, but I enjoy a few competitive multiplayer games. My son is different when I grew up there were no MMOs or online games in general, DOOM and Unreal came out when I was a teenager, they were also pretty laggy, unfair, full of cheaters and trolls, not much changed. We were doing LANs with my friends playing Unreal and it was very fun. The new generations have complete solutions they login in Fortnite and all their classroom is there, they mess around chatting and playing all sorts of minigames. It is different. At the end of the day we all play couch co-op on PS5 and PC and it's really fun. Gang beasts, Biped, Human fall flat, Lovers in a dangerous spacetime, ultimate chicken horse, Portal 2, Pummel party, Party animals, rocket league and at least 10 others.
Gamers like good games, all this research is a bit out of focus, games are art, if they are good people play it.

 

[DrSuess]

I'm 44 and play only single player (mostly because 3 of My younger brothers, more proficient in gaming, used to kick My *** in LAN, and I abandoned playing with other human being in My youth).

I stick to single player because there are far too many obnoxious people on multiplayer games that spoil the experience for others.

 

[ZedRM]

Not really.

Yes, really.

I do well in both SP and MP.

That's nice. But that's not what we're discussing.

Are you another SP casual that are scared of MP because you get dominated?

Oh, so you're going to keep up the personal insulting comments?

What else is new. People hate what they don't understand, or suck at.

Seems like it..

Why do you join in these conversations? You have nothing to offer. You seem like one of those professional trolls people hear about.