(Note: This article was a featured blog post on Gamasutra in January of this year. -Ed)
Three of the most basic labels for a video game are single player, multiplayer (or versus), and co-op. In this post I will explore the evolution of cooperative gameplay through my own experiences. As a result the majority of the information will be focused on console gaming. To be clear, I am only referring to video games where two or more players take on AI opponents and challenges. Examples range from old school brawlers like Double Dragon, to sports games, to modern day first-person shooters like Left 4 Dead.
A unique human experience is produced when friends, or even strangers, work together to accomplish a common goal. Single player modes attempt to replicate the sensation with AI teammates. Rarely do these computer comrades generate the sensation mentioned above. Perhaps AI will eventually improve to the point where players can’t tell the difference, but currently this is not the case. Versus game modes often have teams, and can produce many of the same sensations as co-op. There is, however, something different when a team takes on human intelligence, and this is not the focus of the post.
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