Cryoborg's Rant: The De-Baboonization of Gamers

Cryoborg is an excellent strategist, and enjoys a multiplayer strategy game, as well as other types of multiplayer games. His views on anything tend to be all or nothing; complete domination. This brief, but informative, article demonstrates that very well.

A long long time ago when humans were little more than intelligent apes, life was simple, entertainment was primitively easy, and single-player computer games were actually cool! Yes, you heard correctly, there was time when single-player games were cool. Now, however, games without the multi-player option are dinosaurs doomed to extinction. Now matter how elaborate the Artificial Intelligence, a computer has only a preset number of options. A human being(unlike the intelligent apes of the 1980s) is capable of an infinite array of choices in a game. Although single-player games can be designed to be difficult, sooner or later the human would figure out the patterns of that game. Unfortunately, when the pattern is found, playing the game becomes nothing more than a series preset moves. Take Half-Life for example. In the Single-Player mode, the soldiers can work together to destroy you. However, there is a preset pattern to their behavior, some of them would advance while others provide cover fire. In the multi-player mode, anything is possible. Spilt second shifts and extremely difficult maneuvers that the computer could never do can be done by humans to save their own hides(or to destroy their enemies). In the area of strategy, Multi-player games also reign supreme. In Age of Empires II the Single-player version provided many challenges such as infantry formations and city walls. But the formations are always the same, and so are the walls. In the multiplayer, the individual human can decide on the arrangement of the formation. And when a multiplayer game is on the fortifications of every player is unique and highly effective. The same is true for every other real time strategy games such as Starcraft and TA.

In conclusion, the single player mode of any game is probably a good way of learning the game, but the multiplayer is more or less the real game. Competing against a computer will never be as challenging as going head to head against a thinking being. Unless you are an over-intelligent ape reading [this.]
[EDITORS NOTE: Honestly, this last piece of the article was left off. I've recreated the proper ending as best as I could, but it may not be 100% accurate. If I find out that there was more to it (unlikely), I'll update it ASAP.]