The value of enjoying a multiplayer game with your buddies is obvious, but there’s just as much to be gained from enjoying a single-player game with a friend.
Playing a single-player game with more than one person may sound awkward and bizarre, but it can allow you to experience the game in ways you couldn’t by all by yourself. As Joshua Hilley explains in Issue 214 of The Escapist, not only can the buddy system help you get past parts that may struggle with by going solo, it also can open your eyes to subtleties that you may have otherwise missed:
There are plenty more reasons why gamers and non-gamers alike are watching others play videogames. Sitting back while someone else plays lets you enjoy the story and gameplay from a different perspective than if you held the controller, and it gives you the chance to add your own running commentary over the action. All of this adds up to a simple truth: When it comes to games, you don’t have to be holding the controller to enjoy the experience.
I can vouch for Hilley on this one. I played through pretty much the entire Resident Evil series with one particular friend – he handled the boss fights, which I loathed, and I took care of the puzzle solving, which drove him nuts. By pairing up, we were able to enjoy games that would’ve otherwise ended up unfinished. Find out what else Hilley has to say in Society of the Spectator, then share your not-quite-single player stories with us.
