Every year there are fewer video games supporting couch co-op. There are still a handful of modern games that support the feature, but it’s nothing compared to previous generations.
Plenty of gamers still enjoy booting up their favorite gaming system and inviting a few friends over to play some games. Still, couch co-op seems to be on its death bed, with many people speculating the feature will vanish in the not-so-distant future.
Couch co-op used to be a must-have feature in many video games. Even after the rise of multiplayer gaming during the sixth console generation, many video game fans still picked couch co-op over online gaming. The experience of going through a game with a family member or best friend by your side is something online gaming cannot replace. However, the desire for couch co-op has greatly diminished over time.
Multiplayer has made couch co-op obsolete. While it doesn’t offer the exact same experience as couch co-op, it provides a similar experience in a more convenient fashion.
Video game fans no longer have to wait for a friend to get off work or school to play a co-op game. Gamers can simply go online and find thousands of people from all over the world ready to play through a game. A lot of people would rather jump online once they get home than change clothes and go to a buddy’s house just to complete a few levels. Online multiplayer may not give gamers the exact same joyous feeling that playing a game with a friend physically brings, but that’s a small price to pay for the convenience of online gaming.
Online multiplayer also has some pretty big advantages over couch co-op. The days of playing a game on tiny split-screens seem to be over, since online multiplayer became popular.
Most gamers will remember playing classic games like GoldenEye or Twisted Metal with four people and having a super small screen in one of the corners of the television. Players could barely see what was going on, especially if they had a smaller TV. Online gaming got rid of all these issues and made multiplayer a much smoother experience.
Some people still don’t have access to high-speed internet. The video game documentary Not For Resale highlights a few game stores that actually allow people without highspeed internet to bring in their systems just to update them.
Therefore, some video game fans don’t have the luxury of multiplayer gaming. Many still yearn for the couch co-op experience. With the feature slowing going away, these gamers won’t be able to enjoy playing games with their friends and family.
Maybe not all multiplayer games should have the couch co-op feature, but that doesn’t mean it should just disappear forever. There should always be a select few games that have a couch co-op option, since the market is still there. The market might be small, but that doesn’t mean it should be ignored.
Couch co-op might not be completely dead, but it is definitely on life support. Online gaming has taken over the multiplayer market while couch co-op barely clings to life in the background. What was once a must-have feature, is now just a niche mode in a select few games. The future looks bright for multiplayer gaming, but not for couch co-op.