Solo Co-Op: Why It Should Be Considered as Co-Op - Chris
Let's be upfront here: trying to argue that single player games are co-op is like trying to argue that the sky isn't blue. The visual spectrum of light we see that reflects the atmosphere tells us that we are viewing "blue", but that's only how our eyes perceive that light. When playing a video game by yourself and with no one else, this isn't technically called co-op. However, there is functionality within these games that can be considered co-op in another sense. True, cooperation between other real-life players doesn't present itself in these situations, because they just aren't present in the traditional sense. These games are co-op in function, in that they present co-op opportunities in their mechanics, and deserve an official category.
Sometimes, certain games require you to work with other in-game characters to be able to progress and complete it. They might not have a real life player behind them, but they're utilization is usually necessary to achieve success. A perfect example for this is The Cave, where players must use all three characters in your party to progress through the overall story. It's not truly considered co-op when a single player plays the game, but the player simply must cooperate the character's powers by himself to even experience it at all.
Is there really much of a difference here, to perform the actions than require another human player to take control and help?
A game like Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine is designed to be played cooperatively, but can be played as a single player. Normally, a team of four co-op players would be able to progress with few problems. Playing this game by oneself, without the help of even AI controlled players, makes game's difficulty spike immensely (I wouldn't recommend the experience). If only there was a way to add a feature where a single player could choose his team of four, control individually, and switch between them on command, much like a GTA 5. This would allow players who might not have co-op partners on hand to enjoy the game as intended, as they would otherwise not.
In today's age, where constantly checking one's phone while at a party of friends and family is the norm, why shouldn't there be some form of co-op that accommodates this? At least for myself, I believe that the gaming world has evolved enough to warrant a "new" type of co-op genre into the mix; call it "Single Player Co-Op". If anything, these types of games should always have a drop-in, drop-out feature available if players should change their mind.