Multiplying Catastrophically

I am in an age group vehemently targeted by developers. I am 20, moderately tech savvy, and in possession of all current-gen consoles, all of which are connected to an intermittently reliable broadband connection. What I am not is swayed by the call of the hoard.
I grew up counter to my generation. Generation X holds more similarities to me than anyone who is now ironically obsessed with Poggs and Batman Forever. My first video game came to me through an acient PC that I had to write down the commands for to be able to run anything. When I had mastered the simple Rogue-likes at my disposal, my father decided to invite me into the world of consoles with my very own NES. By this time the SNES was an established console. It would be just before the PS1 American launch that I would receive a SNES. My gaming development was slow and primarily done alone. I saw gaming as a personal escape. When RPGs entered into the picture my quest for immmersion was complete. Of course immersion was gained in text blips of platformers as I constructed a story to satisfy my curiousity.
The point I want to make is simple, and I feel some back story makes my proceeding objection clearer. (Then again, there are numerous journalists who will disagree with my sentiments). I am in the perfect position to take advantage of the latest gaming phenomenon and feel it has it's time and place. I do not align myself with the gamer who craves multiplayer.
Games like Left 4 Dead and Team Fortress are designed around the idea of multiplayer and are therefore excluded from my arguement. I enjoy both games and am not entirely opposed to multiplayer. What I am opposed to is the popular, and unecessary, inclusion of multiplayer into games where it ought not be. Too many games these days are destroyed by the developer's quest for sales longivity in the form of multiplayer. I feel Mr. Driller's 360 debut was tainted by the inclusion of online that was so hastily attached that had no place in finishing the game's title. Further still, Bionic Commando's multiplayer demo left me disatisfied. I do not purchase a game for it's multiplayer, unless that game is designed around it, for it, and genuinely seems engaging despite the developmental stages of the average troll user.
Bioshock 2 brought this low fire to a roar for me, largely because of the nature of it's presented multiplayer. The beauty of Bioshock was the craft and depth that could so immerse a player. The isolation, the sense of one man against unspeakable genetic mutation was thrilling. So too was the notion of the increasingly Totalitarian steps taken to preserve the idea of freedom within the city. There is a rich history presented in the shadows and set dressings. That history, the events leading up to the New Years Eve party, is precisely what I want a Bioshock prequel to be.
I want to experience the wave of madness and destruction alone. I want to see what happened to the people attempting to sneak in bibles and political propaganda. I want to see how the splicers took over.
Multiplayer may kill the development of plot. If the curent trend continues, we will see more developers rushing out demos to appeal to Live and PSN users than to those of us who have never placed much stock in repetitive online combat. Taking the image of an undamaged rapture and making it's downfall the multiplayer is vaguely understandable but devestating to those who hoped for something that would transition so well into the Rapture we presently know.
I feel my gaming isolation has developed this in me. There are several varieties of gamers, each one wanting a different thing out of their experience. For those gamers obsessed with multiplayer there are options. For those addicted to Peggle, there are numerous verisons of Peggle to satisfy the urge.
Gamers who play for immersion are a dying breed forced to turn to JRPGs that are rapidly dwindling in their variety. The fact that multiplayer sells is speeding up the change, forcing out the players who feel the pain of their characters. Not every game can capitalize on multiplayer. Titles like Fallout 3 have a place in this world. I am pleased that Bethesda and Bioware did not follow the industry call in their recent RPGs and I hope they will lead a resistance against the oversaturation of multiplayer.

Anyway, enjoy this: