Can the ”Games as a Service” Model Save Single Player Games?

There has been a lot of talk about the end of single player games and how “games as a service” are what will drive the gaming market in the future. For those that don’t know what the term “games as a service” means, think games like Destiny 2, World of Warcraft, or even mobile games like Marvel Contest of Champions. These games have absolutely nothing in common gameplay wise, but they do have an extremely addicting quality to them. That is thanks to the fact that they are constantly being updated, they have seasonal events or events for special occasions that give different rewards, and probably the most addicting quality, loot boxes. Loot boxes are rewards that are generated through an RNG (random number generator) algorithm to give rewards randomly (or as random a computer can actually be) to a player. The addicting quality of loot boxes can be compared to that of sitting in a casino playing the slot machine, continuously wasting away your spare change and time, praying that the next spin will be you’re lucky one. I have actually raided with someone in Destiny 1 that said they prayed to RNG-esus to get the Gjallahorn. (If you don’t know what Gjallahorn is it was basically the best weapon in the game, and if you don’t know who RNG-esus is you’re probably better off.) I have to admit that I am somewhat addicted to loot boxes myself. Games like Destiny 2 and Injustice 2 have me hooked trying to get the best armor for my favorite characters. 

So how can this save single player games? Well we can look to recent games like Assassin’s Creed Origins and Middle Earth Shadow of War. These games are both mostly single player games that implement the loot box system. I myself have often said that for single player games to survive they are going to have to implement something that gives their games replay value. The sense of randomness that loot boxes provide gives us a reason to revisit a game to try and get that special weapon or that fancy piece of armor that everyone is talking about. 

Some single player games like Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls: Skyrim and Fallout 4 have managed to create worlds with a massive amount of seemingly endless content, but most game developers can’t manage to create that big of a game world, nor would it make sense for some games like for example the Batman Arkham series. Single player games typically have to have a beginning and an end with side quests in between to create a meaningful story. That being said if I hear a single player game has a must play story I will wait until it goes on sale to buy it, or just rent it, beat it once and never think about it again. Unless the game has an online multiplayer mode, the only way for a single player game to keep my interest would be to give the player something to work for and to continuously put out new content that would make me want to play the game from day one at full price. I don’t see single player games going anywhere in the near future, and I support the direction they are taking just so long as they don’t try to milk it too much with micro transactions.