How do you like to play?

When humans first started playing games (which likely included throwing rocks at stuff, hitting stuff with sticks, and running around while carrying stuff), there was only one way to play: in person with other people, and likely outside. Eventually our games became more sophisticated and could be played indoors around a table or on the floor, sometimes using objects specifically designed to facilitate the playing of the game like playing cards, game boards, specialized pieces or dice. We would play games like this for thousands of years until technology started changing the way we play games. In this post I am going to explore the ways technology has changed how we play games and later talk about the pros and cons of the various ways we play.

I’m not a historian so I could be way off (and if I am, I invite you to correct me in comments), but I believe that the first piece of technology to change the way we play games was widely accessible and reliable mail delivery. Obviously the ability to send messages over distances is probably only slightly younger than game playing is, but once the average person was able to send mail reliably, it made it possible to play games like chess with someone that was not in the same physical place as you. Chess is the only game that was played via mail for most of our history, but, there have been many games that were designed to be played via mail starting in the 20th century. Diplomacy is one such game and has since its inception it has become a popular game to play in-person (and was notably the favorite game of people like JFK, Henry Kissinger, and Walter Conrkite).

Diplomacy: It's like Risk but for people with actual armies at their disposal

Of course, the most dramatic shift to how we play games came when some MIT nerds made two spaceships shoot at each other on a computer. The game they developed was called Spacewar! (I’m a big fan of exclamation points in game titles and this just reaffirms my affinity for the practice) and it was developed in 1961 on a PDP-1 computer, a machine that used paper tape as its primary storage system. The two player game was a revelation in computing, programming, and of course, game design. The nerds of the 60s continued to create games for mainframe computers, but nothing really achieved wide popularity untils the 70s.

If you were to poll a group of 100 people about what they think the first video game was, I’m sure very few would say Spacewar! and far more would say it was Pong. It was Pong that brought video games into the mainstream as there were a variety of home consoles that enabled players to play Pong or Pong-likes, which is to say that for the first time thousands of game players could turn on the TV and play a video game with their friends, a practice that endures to this day.

While Pong made it possible for gamers to play a video game at home, the invention of video games also enabled the rise of single-player games. Sure, “solitaire” games existed for 100s of years before this, but such games were limited in scope and replayability. With the invention of games like Space Invaders and Speed Race, game players were shown a world where single player games could be just as thrilling and strategic as multiplayer games.

Stick with me, I’ve got one innovation left.

When do you think online multiplayer video games started being played? The early 2000s with XBox Live? The 90s with games like Ultima Online and Quake?

The answer is 1980. One thing I like about us humans is that when we find new technology, one of the first things we want to do is make it fun to play with. Isn’t that interesting? I’m sure it only took a few hours after the invention of the wheel for a couple of cavemen to have a race.

Anyways, yeah, in 1980 some more college nerds, this time at the University of Essex, created the world’s first MUD (multi-user dungeon). It’s my understanding that MUDs were part Dungeons and Dragons, part text adventure, and part chat room. Numerous players would co-exist in the same fictional world contained in this computer program and they would explore and conquer it together, often helping maintain the fiction of the game world though their interactions. There were many different genres of MUD within the MUD community, and the differences between various MUD games can be seen in the multiplayer video games of today. Hack and slash MUDs focused on questing and killing monsters, similar to Elder Scrolls Online or World of Warcraft. Player versus player MUDs focused on players being able to kill each other, kind of like Call of Duty, Halo, or Fortnite. Social MUDs deemphasized combat or questing in favor of building relationships and role playing, a genre that still exists in games like Second Life. Of course, many modern multiplayer games incorporate all of thesee facets, like GTA Online. MUDs paved the way for one of the most dominant cultural forces of our lives today: online multiplayer gaming. This new way to play made it possible for the first time for players to simultaneously play a game together without being in the same place, an absolutely groundbreaking innovation.

A 90s MUD. It's like D&D meets DOS.

Every one of these “ways to play,” be it playing physical games with other people, playing a game by yourself, playing video games in person with other people, or playing video games with other people over the internet all have their pros and cons.

Playing physicals games with other people in person requires access to the necessary equipment/pieces for the game as well as access to a space that enables you to play that game, but for many there is no substitute for being able to talk with their friends over a board game or read their opponent’s face during a card game or feel the wind in their hair as they run around outside.

Playing a single player video game allows you to have a deeply engaging experience with the game, but without the element of uncertainty that another human player brings, these games can get repetitive, and they lack the opportunity for socialization.

Playing a multiplayer video game with friends in person allows you to soccialize while engaging with a digital game that provides thrills and challenges a physical game cannot, but everyone needs to be in the same space and you still need proper equipment (enough controllers for everyone to play and a screen that is conducive to multiple people scouring it at the same time).

Playing an online multiplayer game allows you to play from the comfort and privacy of your own home and all you need is an internet connection and something to play on, but you don’t always get to choose who you play with, and as I’m sure you’re aware the people you play with are not always as friendly over the internet as they might be if they were sitting two feet away from you in your living room.

As I’m writing this in the Spring of 2022, online multiplayer games are the dominant force in the gaming world. Don’t be mistaken, it’s a great time for gamers of all proclivities, but it seems like the games that get the most love from consoles, advertisers, and online communities are multiplayer online games. And based on my pros/cons list I just worked through, I think it’s easy to see why: the barrier for entry for online multiplayer is very low and the payoff is high: a good online multiplayer game provides you with a unique experience every time you start a new round because you never know what strategy your opponents are going to use.

Personally, my favorite way to play games is same couch multiplayer games. Some of my longest relationships are founded on playing games like Left 4 Dead 2, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Halo 3, and Madden for hours with my friends. I’m not a very spiritual person but I do think that interacting with people in person provides humans with an experience that can’t be duplicated through remote-interaction. We as humans evolved to be in groups, and part of that evolution was playing games with each other live and in person. I don’t think the type of game you play matters (whether it’s gin rummy, basketball, or Mortal Kobmat), what matters is being in the same place as other people and all partaking in a shared activity that creates joy.

But that’s just me. How do you like to play?