When Microsoft announced that you'd have to be online to play on the
Xbox One, there was an outcry. Many Xbox fans threatened to jump ship to the
Sony PlayStation, and Microsoft rowed back frantically.
But you'd be mistaken to think that the need for an Internet connection
is always a disadvantage in gaming. In fact, the opposite can be true. Current
consoles all have online capabilities, and although PC platforms like Steam
offer an offline mode, their games often rely on an Internet connection. It
doesn't seem to affect their popularity.
Online connectivity can mean a constant supply of game content. That
means games like 'For Honor' from Ubisoft have continued to receive updates
months after their release.
That means games like For Honor from Ubisoft have continued to receive
updates months after their release. — dpa
The three most successful paid-for PC games in 2016 were, according to
Superdata Research, the shooters Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Go and the
role-playing game Guild Wars 2. All three games require an Internet connection.
It's a similar story with free-to-play titles for PCs. From League of
Legends to World of Tanks, online games dominate. Things look a little
different when it comes to consoles – here, the most successful titles, such as
FIFA 16 or Grand Theft Auto V, can also be played offline.
On the other hand, the console charts also contain titles such as
Destiny and The Division in which you can't even get into the main menu without
being online.
In games like Destiny, you can't even get into the main menu without
being online. — dpa
Of course, most of these games have to be played online because they're
multiplayer titles. The large-scale battles of Overwatch and World of Tanks
would be impossible offline. But titles such as Destiny and the snowboard game
Steep can also be played in single player mode.
Super Mario Run uses the Internet only for best lists and other trivia,
but even so, you have to be online to play.
For developers, online connectivity has several advantages, including
better copy protection, says Joerg Mueller-Lietzkow, a media economy professor
at the University of Paderborn in Germany: "Unauthorised copying ceases.
It's no longer possible because of server binding."
Online games like League of Legends dominate the charts when it comes
to free-to-play titles for PCs. — dpa
It also makes it easier for the developer to makes changes and fix
problems. "The provider can, for example, change the game rules or fix
errors without having to send gigabytes of patches," Mueller-Lietzkow
says.
And it can mean a constant supply of game content – some of it free and
some that has to be paid for. Games are no longer finished products, but are
rather platforms that are constantly changing – the so-called "games as a
service" concept.
Thus For Honor and The Division from Ubisoft have continued to receive
updates months after their release. This means that fans get more out of their
favourite games, while casual players can get into a game for less money – for
example, in the case of Square Enix's Hitman.
"Ideally, as a player, I should only pay for what I really
use," says Mueller-Lietzkow.
Some games have to be played online because they're multiplayer titles.
The large-scale battles of 'Overwatch' would be impossible offline.
Another advantage for the customer of the "games as a
service" model is that "of course the developers are interested in
keeping fans engaged and therefore listen to feedback," the professor
says.
A good example is Destiny – players complained a lot about the first
version, which is why the developer Bungie kept making improvements. The result
was a much better game.
The downside of relying on an Internet
connection is that the game servers have to be functioning at all times. If the
servers go down, the game can't be played. — dpa
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