Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

Dear First-Person Shooter,

We've had some awesome times together, haven't we? Remember those long nights of Duke Nukem 3D? The number of times I played through Dark Forces? And Goldeneye. Oh, Goldeneye. Yes, we sure have had some great times, but I'm writing to tell you that I've moved on. I just don't love you anymore.

Finally getting that off my chest is absolutely invigorating. Doubtless this news comes to you as a shock, but should you really be so surprised? Gaming is quickly becoming a story-telling tool to rival movies, television, and literature, and your genre is lagging way behind. Think about it. Whose story is more interesting: Master Chief's or Nathan Drake's? Sev Sevchenko's or Alan Wake's? Even Mario and anthropomorphic sacks have more personality than you.

Okay, that's a bit harsh. I know that you have fans that deeply care about the characters involved in the Halo and Killzone franchises, but I'm just not one of them, FPS. For some reason, your genre just no longer holds my interest where plot is concerned. I get so emotionally invested in games like Heavy Rain and Red Dead Redemption, but I don't even feel partiality toward characters in your genre. What's up with that?

Maybe I'm just missing the point, though. Since 80% of my gaming is single player, maybe I should realize that FPS games are not built to satisfy my niche in the gaming world. You're all about online play now, which is fun occasionally, but I don't want to spend my time playing the same death match over and over while there are tons of great titles I have yet to play. You and I just have different visions of what gaming should accomplish, FPS.

There's one thing I have to admit: I really like what you're doing with the RPG elements the last several years. Call of Duty is the mammoth franchise it is today because of Infinity Ward's inclusion of RPG elements in the multiplayer portion of Modern Warfare. I wish there was more of that in the campaign mode, but there are always games like Bioshock and Borderlands, both of which offer a robust single-player experience through heavy use of RPG elements. But these are outliers, FPS. Your developers keep releasing generic games that fail to compel me in any significant way. I know you have a lot of fans, but I can't imagine I'm the only one that feels this way. There's just such a disparity between the best FPS games and the best games of other genres.

Make no mistake, I'm breaking up with you, but please realize that I still want to be friends. When I want to hang out, you'll still be on my list…but you'll be at the bottom of that list, FPS. Did you know that I have been absolutely lusting over games like Uncharted 3 and Dark Souls? And yet, when Killzone 3 was released I just said, "Meh, I'll play it in six months or so." I'm so indifferent to you, FPS. And I think I deserve to be with a genre that makes me happy.

Let me be frank: I can't afford to pay $60 every time I want to take you home. You just don't offer the full package that a game like Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood does. How many times have I excitedly purchased a game of your genre, only to finish the campaign mode the next day? You don't give enough time to story or character development; you just put all your effort into the multiplayer. And that's fine for you, but it's not okay for me, FPS.

Look, I'll always remember the good times we had. We'll see each other occasionally and we'll probably even hook up every once in a while. But I just can't continue with this commitment, FPS. We've just grown too far apart. I wish you the best and hope you understand.