Which Genre of Gaming is the Most Interactive?

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

I haven't seen a new thread in this section for weeks, so I thought up something to maybe get some discussion going on in here again. It probably won't work, but hey... it's something.

Which genre of video gaming do you guys think is the most socially rewarding? What games make you want to interact with your friends, or even strangers, on a consistent basis? The games that make monthly subscriptions (or...free, if you're a PSN user) worth the price of admission. Here are a few of my ideas:

The Shooter Genre - Games like Halo, Modern Warfare and Left for Dead are some of the most recognizable and purchased games in the world. They're also the most active, and provide near-endless return. Being able to play a game's story mode online with your friends is a big draw, and playing with friends and strangers in multi-player modes is the giant appeal of these types of games. On the flip side, while you might find hundreds of random players in a single sitting of COD, you also will never talk to 99% of these people again.

Facebook Games - I know...they're annoying as hell. Nobody likes getting flooded by Farmville and Kitten Canon requests 10 times a day, but you can't deny that along with being marketing juggernauts, they're extremely successful social games. Already plugged into the most popular social network on the web, playing Tetris Battle with your friends is simple, and downright addicting at times. Best part is, you dont' need a $300 console to do it, either. Just the compy you probably already have. Or a smart phone.

I've got to give the edge to Massively Multiplayer Online games though. MMO's provide hundreds of hours of questing, looking, *insert other nerd term here* and connect you with people you're probably going to spend a lot of time with. If you stick with a game like World of Warcraft, you'll end up in guilds, raid parties, and talking with tons of people from your server. And because insensitive sign-up programs are the best marketing tool in the world, it pays to get your friends hooked too.

What do you guys think? What are the most social games out there?

 

[Tha Wolfpac]

I absolutely love the Role-Playing Game genre (RPG), I love the fact that in recent RPG's you not only take control of a character but can really make them your own. Skyrim for example, not only is their customisation of your character, but also you manage the way your character acts be it their personality to an extent or the way they play the game. Rather than being restricted to a predetermined character that you have no interest in.
Aside from characters, i tend to find within RPG's they immerse the player more effectively as opposed to other genres. And offer more play time, which some can argue they are not catered towards casual gamers as they eat up time. But in my opinion RPG's just in general offer a whole lot more in terms of longevity, innovation and overall fun which is most important i guess.

 

[GI Cake]

Different strokes for different boats.

Personally, almost every single game has such a large fan base and community you can join just about any group that has similar interests as you it is insane. You want to play Team Fortress 2 with a bunch of comic book nerds? There's a server and a website for them and you can join. Want to play Command and Conquer and talk about My Little Pony? There is a website and a server full of people that share the same exact interests.

But that's the glory of video games, behind all the blood, guts, Japanese anime characters with giant bug eyes and rocking set of tits (I'm looking at you Lolipop Chainsaw) you have perhaps a limitless community with so many subsections and groups you can belong anywhere. You can have groups for games as simple as Angry Birds and then big video game clans to play more advanced and hardcore gaming like DOTA, or World of Warcraft gaming.

Personally, I tend to find that shooter games and sports games tend to be more socially rewarding with the consideration of the kind of people I hang out with. I can play Madden 13 for hours with my friends in a giant league or in the next hours be rolling out in a tank playing Battlefield.