In the book, Introduction to Game Analysis, author, Clara Fernández-Vara, takes a deep dive analysis on the various forms of competition and cooperation in various methods of game. In this blog I will take these categories listed by Fernández-Vara and discusses the broader implications that they have on the world of gaming through examples.
Single Player:
Not much new can be said about the single player gaming experience. Throughout the years, single-player games have become more and more cinematic, focusing on bigger and broader themes and narratives to create a stories that stand the test of time. Games such as The Last of Us, Bioshock, Telltale’s: The Walking Dead, Mass Effect, the list of games that have had a cultural impact on the gaming industry through the individual storytelling techniques goes on and on. Stories such as these highlight the importance of studying videogames as a medium as they provide the ultimate form of interactivity (art< literature< film< videogames).
Multiple Players vs. Game
The history of this form of gaming can see its traces in Arcade Coop with examples being, Metal Slug, Contra, TMNT, and The Simpsons. Over time this form of cooperative play transformed into what is known now as “couch coop” and multiplayer coop. Both forms of play in these instances have players working together to finish the game/ complete the objective. Call of Duty Zombies is a perfect example of coop play that can be both couch coop or multiplayer coop.
Player vs Player
Much like Multiple Players vs Game, Player vs Player games can be traced all the way back to early games such as Pong, but also in arcade cabinets with games such as Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter being very popular. Player vs Player games differentiate from Team Competition in that PVP is singlular player vs singular player which is the status quo in fighting games. Battle Royale games such as Fortnite can also be classified into this category as the primary mode of play is Solo play.
Team Competition
This is the standard team vs team PvP in which two opposing teams compete against each other for victory. Games such as Call of Duty and CounterStrike are the most common examples for this category. Team competition brings a whole new level of competitiveness to gaming with MOBAs such as League of Legends and Dota 2 being some of the most competitively played games.
Unilateral Competition
Amongus. This type of game is based on asymmetry, usually in the form of 1 vs team such as Among Us or Dead by Daylight. These games have risen in popularity with a notable increase in the asymmetrical horror genre with games such as Friday the 13th and the upcoming Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Killer Clowns From Outer Space.
