It's a strange question to ask, particularly given the video gaming market as a whole. With some very big titles coming out that will be very heavily single player, the idea that a single-player mode for most games may no longer be a necessity or even a thing any more is unsettling and unexpected. But there are some who are advancing that very concept.

While checking out the news at IGN, the question came up via IGN's "Up at Noon" series, do single player modes really constitute a necessary point any more? The idea came about after finding that "Call of Duty: Black Ops 3" would be coming to last generation consoles, but only as a multiplayer option. The single-player campaign, apparently, would be only available on current-generation systems. "Star Wars: Battlefront," "Titanfall," "Rainbow Six: Siege"...these games also join in with multiplayer-style events, and not much in the way of solo play.

In a sense, that's not a bad thing. It's an inducement to step up into the new generation of consoles, and indeed, there's a lot of fun to be had in terms of playing with other people. I've personally  enjoyed multiplayer gaming on several occasions; I still fondly remember my time in "Destiny" where I, along with two others, took on a mission for several attempts, an experience made much worse after we lost one of our three, and left the two of us trying to beat a mission that clearly called for three. We held our own, but in the end, we were still frequently overwhelmed by the flood of enemies. Still, it was exciting, and it was fun. It was also, of course, the kind of thing that I could have only done recently as the proper high-speed connection only reached my area a couple years back, but still.

We want those multiplayer experiences, of course, and always welcome that option. Whether straight multiplayer or an MMO-style experience, it's valid no matter how it works. But the single player option must be there for those who want to play alone or are forced by circumstances to so do. Without that option, a lot of the gaming market is out of play, and no one wants to lose access to a market if it isn't necessary to do so.

So in the end, yes, single-player modes are necessary. They're part of the rich tapestry of gaming, and represent a clear value to gamers. But in the end, falling down on the single player experience will hurt the overall industry, and is a point that should be considered accordingly.