Open Forum: The Rise Of Co-op Gaming

Competitive multiplayer has always been seen as the face of online gaming, but at the same time, we’re playing more co-op games than ever before. Whether taking the action online alone or with a local friend riding shotgun, we’re starting to see a renaissance in the way developers are turning their AAA games into more co-op friendly experiences.

One of the highest profile names among this recent spate of co-op titles is, of course, Bungie’s Destiny. Where earlier games like the original Borderlands showed us how one of the industry’s biggest genres could be moulded to suit co-operative play, Destiny managed to break down walls, often on the verge of stepping into full MMORPG territory, with its stellar gameplay and mainstream appeal.

Although it does feature a dedicated mode for competitive play, it’s an inherently co-op game throughout, designed to be played with friends. That’s not to say The Crucible isn’t as refined, it just happens to be largely overshadowed by the raft of options available to those who want to group up and tackle PvE content.

Jumping on the co-op bandwagon this year, we also have Call of Duty: Black Ops III. With the series really having built its fanbase around its extraordinarily popular competitive multiplayer, it was surprising to hear that this year’s instalment would go for something a bit different, with co-op play possible all the way through the campaign, within the increasingly popular Zombies game mode, and with split-screen play possible throughout.

Although this move can be seen as Treyarch tapping into the popularity spike for co-op games, you have to consider that when buying Call of Duty, a staggering number of players still won’t even go near the campaign, let alone finish it. Maybe this is a solution?

Yet on the other side of the coin, it was with great disappointment that fans of the Halo franchise – a game series which has had split-screen co-op since the very first game – was removing this feature in favour of online only co-op play. Though the story and the squad-based gameplay are very much focussed around letting you have four people playing together, it’s no longer possible for them to be doing so while on the same console.

It isn’t the only game series to abandon this feature. When it launches in December, Rainbow Six: Siege will also pass on split-screen support while dropping the much requested singleplayer campaign altogether. However, looking at the game’s online element, as well as that of Battleborn and other big-name shooters, we’re starting to see something of a crossover point. Spread across a series of intimate scenarios – both competitively and co-operatively – Siege demands that teams play closely together, discussing loadouts, formulating strategies and assigning roles before each gunfight.

Gearbox Interactive’s latest shooter, Battleborn, is more or less on the same track. It may have a Borderlands-like story-driven campaign to gun your way through (alone, via split-screen, or online) yet features a core focus that blends together elements from both the co-op and competitive ends of the multiplayer spectrum. This is due mainly to its marrying of the shooter and MOBA genres. The latter, though extremely competitive, hinges almost entirely on teamplay.

For me, this proliferation of co-op games does more than damage than good. Don’t get me wrong, I’m quite partial to playing with other online – what I don’t like, however, is the way in which these games force me to change my regular approach. Destiny is perhaps the most egregious culprit in this respect, having barred off entire swathes of content I’d like to play, simply because I’m unable to regularly find willing teammates beyond the game’s matchmaking tools. As someone who likes to kick back and play games without feeling restricted, this was a major no-no, forcing me to wipe Destiny from my cluttered PS4 hard drive without giving The Taken King a second look.

For that same reason, I probably won’t be grabbing a copy of Rainbow Six: Siege either. Although I appreciate the heightened sense of interaction between players in an online game, I’m rarely the sort to fish out a headset and start yapping away. Even though I hadn’t thought about it up until now, the increasing emphasis on co-op is probably why I passed on pre-ordering Black Ops III, too. I suppose it simply comes down to my individual habits as a gamer, especially when it comes to shooters. For a long time I’ve been used to booting up a CoD game, rinsing the singleplayer campaign, and then heading online for some competitive action.

Now it’s over to you. How do you feel about the recent proliferation of co-operative gameplay? For a while now, it’s been a big bullet point for the back of the box, but do you see it as a good thing that gives you more choice and options over how to play, or a negative that dilutes the solo experience?