No matter how elaborate video games can be, many games are separated into two main categories: Offline and online play. Whereas offline play is largely associated with couch co-op and LAN parties, online play has more to offer. However, both can be very engaging in their own ways.

Social elements

Multiplayer video gaming has always been a great pastime for sharing laughs and making new friends. Both online and traditional console games have played huge roles in connecting gamers, even if they do so in different ways.

Console play has long touted its ability for multiplayer play. Even something as old as the original Nintendo was considered high-tech for its time, thanks to the secondary controller port. Friends and siblings could play Mario, Duck Hunt, and Donkey Kong together in both cooperative and competitive styles.

Online play takes a lot of the fundamentals of console multiplayer but adds a ton of new mechanics and trends, thanks to the conveniences of the Internet, even in the online gambling world. The best online slots in the UK have social elements taken from video games. These online slots have engaging social communities that discuss the games and share tips. 

In many ways, it’s a new era for gaming, which has brought people who used to only play at casinos online and together into one platform. 

Updates

Traditional games can always be fun, but development for them can look very different from online games. Though day one patches exist, console games often need to be released in a state of completion.

When it comes to online games, a lot of new IPs are released in a beta state or with early access. This gives developers the opportunity to receive feedback from fans, giving them ample time to refine the game’s mechanics to achieve a greater balance and offer a better gaming experience.

With online gaming, there is also a lot of overlap with mobile gaming, which is increasingly becoming a dominant field of the gaming market. One of the biggest trends in modern online games is the web shop, and like any successful application, they are highly dependent on receiving consistent and reliable patches and updates.

Innovation and direction

For many hardcore gamers, the most important part of a game is how unique it feels to play, and how singular it feels in its gaming or artistic direction.  

Many online games have unique art styles and impressive play styles that allow gamers to express themselves in multiple ways. Fighting games, MOBA games, battle royales, and many other genres are excellent examples of this.

Traditional console games may have an edge over them when it comes to more innovative qualities. Many console games tend to be the true vanguards when it comes to pushing forward new engines and hardware, as well as all new game concepts and physics that can inspire anyone. Valve’s Portal series or the recent Legend of Zelda titles, with their advanced in-house physics and chemistry systems, are unlike anything else.

Then there are titles that experimentally blend the boundaries between console and online play. The upcoming Beyond Good and Evil 2 is a great example of an open-world adventure that seamlessly integrates single-player and online mechanics into a unique yet cohesive title.

Professional play

No matter what kind of game it is, the odds will be pretty good that there is some competitive scene surrounding it. Online and console games both have several communities dedicated to mastering either entire aspects of a game or min/maxing one tiny feature of it.

Take speedrunning, for example. Speedrunning communities have been around for decades, years before online play was popularized by the likes of Xbox Live or the PlayStation Network. People would come together and play Final Fantasy, Metroid, and Donkey Kong on SNES systems, either at someone’s house or at a rented-out convention center or hotel for large tournaments. 

Fighting games also have a long history of professional play emerging in arcades and then making their way to large international tournaments. Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Tekken, Soulcalibur, and many more franchises all have several tournaments dedicated to them, and you can bet that competing at these tournaments is far more challenging than whatever boss battle you’re currently stuck at.

Online professional play is an even bigger world, as people are practicing online all the time in games ranging from DOTA 2 to Overwatch. Some of these tournaments get so popular that the cash prizes are insanely large, which only makes the gaming scenes even more competitive.

Both styles of games have no shortage of thrilling competitive scenes. Whichever one you gravitate towards the most, either as a spectator or as a competitor, will depend on many factors—from the players to the cast in the game.

Final thoughts

Online gaming seeks its thrills through hype, seasonal updates, and a never-ending scene of players, making them more like sports. Traditional console games get theirs through elaborate storytelling, groundbreaking art styles, and finely tuned directing crafted at creating a specific experience, making them more like movies. Each method has its own special qualities, making them both vital pillars of the gaming world.