It was two and a half years ago that we brought your our first Co-Op Terminology Guide and while most of the terminology and definitions that surround co-op gaming remain, we figured it was a good time to do a refresh.
Let's start wtih the basics. Where do you find co-op games on Co-Optimus? All of our games are located in our handy-dandy database. This database is both searchable and listable by system. Eventually you'll find something within that piques your interest and you'll land at a database page - something like this. And it's here where you might be initially overwhelmed by the terminology used on the page - so lets take a look.
But first, how does Co-Optimus define co-op gaming? Many people have different perceptions and ideas of what co-op is to them, and honestly, that's perfectly fine. Ours is more the classic view of co-op gaming.
"A co-op game is a game where two or more players work together to accomplish a goal against AI opponents. Ideally the game will feature a strong story in which both players take part of. Co-Op can be online over the internet, offline on the same console, or via a LAN or Wireless Network. We do not consider team based games as co-op where players face off against another team of human players."
This means most racing games, including Blur, offering split-screen play are not co-op. Call of Duty (while it does have a co-op mode) isn't an 8 or 16 player co-op game because the mode that those player counts are available in are a team based versus mode. Basically, if the game requires you to compete against another human being, it is not co-op.
Alright, onto the terminology.