Sadly,but it's true. :(

I don't mind multiplayer being offered but often it results in single player being less polished and functional than it could be. I especially miss the LAN modes that are being dropped from games. No way to make money off of LAN play . . . =)

I prefer single player games .

Nice article, thanks for the read. :)
From a personal standpoint, as a former multiplayer lover, I am pretty worn out from multiplayer gaming. Like the article states, the current games coming out don't do a good job at differentiating themselves from one another. I poured 50 hours into BC2, and stopped due to boredom, after you get the cool unlocks, and drive the different vehicles, it falls apart and you are left with a generic shooter that, visually, looks like any other military shooter on the market. Sadly, variation is lacking from most multiplayer games, and it seems to effect all genres. The focus on 'realistic' military shooters is becoming tiring.
At the risk of sounding like a pc elitist, I sincerely believe mods can go to great lengths to make the multiplayer much better. I shall forego a long comment on TF2, since we have ALL seen the massive amount of user created content for it. L4D 1,2 is a good example of the power of mods, despite the butchered custom content delivery system. Want to play it as a rpg? Well sure, why not, complete with levelling up and unlocks. Want to use CSS weapons? Sure, enjoy razing the infected with a MP5. Low grav? Possibly the funnest mod for L4D, especially with the hunter leaping about like there is a payload of rockets up his arse. Heck, some servers even allow for flying mode, which is an experience all in itself. I can list much more, including base building, but I said enough. Killing Floor is another shining example of great longevity and fun through mods, Doom 2 60 man server? Jaw dropping. :)
It'll reach a point where multiplayer gamers will just get bored, and that's why developers, I think, do need to allow custom content, simply to make a game standout. Publishers can keep milking DLC (and they will) but if there is no one playing the game in the first place, what good is DLC? All the extra multiplayer guns in the world won't make a slight of a difference since no one will bother, they'll be too busy playing their favourite online game instead.
Sony has successfully managed to pull of user made content with LBP, which has a sizeable community, which keeps the multiplayer fresh because of the levels that get churned out. They continued that with modnation racers (notice the word 'mod' in the title) and took it to a whole new level (on consoles) with LBP2, which finally allows you to create a game within a game, much like the PC, albeit with less developer tools.
Obviously mods also have a downside, like stated in the article, gamers might stay on that one game! But again Sony has combated this with the added developer tools in LPB2, which benefit players. You could play a level in LBP1, but in two, you can now play a different game, from a shooter to a puzzle game. The people that brought LBP1 will go and get 2,since it offers a greatly different experience not available in it's predecessor. Which, I think, is a pretty damn good reason as to why people will buy.
I certainly think that online multiplayer will soon hit a wall, due to copy paste jobs and a lack of variation and innovation in that area. Gamers on all platforms are wising up to which multiplayer games deserve their time, and which don't.

I prefer single player as well. I do enjoy multiplayer games with a group of friends, starting with grilling some steaks, having some refreshments followed by several hours of game play over the old server someone brought along. Not much time for that nowadays . . . =)
It's hard to recreate the fun of everybody pausing the game, grabbing a fresh drink and having a good laugh about what just happened. Home / office LAN play is dead but . . . it was something I will always remember and what is missing, IMHO, from the online experience . . . =)

I've picked out a few highlights from your post.
I wholeheartedly agree with all of the above. This also goes a long way towards explaining why UT2004 is still extremely popular. It's one of very few alternatives to all the realistic military shooters out there. The multiplayer experience is top notch and well designed. It has Linux server support. It comes with professional modding tools. And there is a metric fuckton of free user-made content for it out there, ranging from new player models, maps and weapons, to new game modes and entirely new games (total conversions), all for the price of a single game. You will be hard pressed to find better value for your money, or as many varied opportunities for entertainment anywhere else.

In the history of my gaming life the only MP gams i ever played were Unreal/Half-Life Co-Op, UT 2K3 and 2K4... and Left 4 Dead.... Diablo 1/2 and most other Diablo Clones....
They are the only MP games i ever liked, mainly because it was LAN friendly and i could have alot of fun playing them.... PLaying against random asshats that do nothing but sit there for hours a day just so they can kill anyone without breaking a sweat is not fun... Now if i was guarnteed to play against others of my skill level i would jump on that... but that doesnt exist... Starcraft is a great example... if your not a zombie devoted to all the stats and have memorized build orders you'll lose in 5 minutes... With most FPS you pretty much need to sit there for hours on end practacting to even exsit for 5 minutes in a MP match.... For me i was a dead-eye Railgunner in Q3 there was no challenge left once i got the railgun... it was so unbalanced...
Its the Singleplayer that draws me in... like Hellgate London, it was fantastic, you could solo the entire damn thing or group up and get some nice loot... made the game fun and exciting.
I've never liked any PVP style game except Shaiya -- in that its all SKILL not gear based a newbie can devastate any veteran player in moments if there not careful.. you can also solo all the content Shaiya has to offer.... its a lot of damn fun!

I've never been much of a fan of multiplayer, partially because I find it boring and partially because it takes resources from a story based game which is the reason I play games.
I've played a fair few over the years but they all boil down to deathmatch, capture the flag & king of the hill. About the only game I've seen that makes it feel slightly fresh is Gears 2, with a combination of its slightly different gameplay and minor changes like their flag being able to shoot you if you just run at it making it a tad different. Not much though but it was clearly designed to be a single, coop & multiplayer game from the start. Its games that have tacked on MP that I have a problem with

I rarely enjoy adversarial multiplayer anymore. I only enjoy coop play nowadays, but since I have no one to play with, I mostly stick to single-player games and occasionally MMOs.
When I really want to play a deathmatch, I just play UT2k4 against the bots. That's enough for me. Why play with strangers when I can play alone?

totally agree with "crowd control" part of the article.
I'm not big multiplayer guy either, at least not for shooters. Online racing games are fun though, and I also had a lot of fun with peggle parties on the xbox 360. and oh yeah deathmatch in shooters is fun too, but I consider that as more of a nice side bonus to a game, not a necessity.
Othen than that, I don't care much for it. I have to admit it's probably because I suck at any online co-op stuff/multiplayer stuff. Most of the time I don't even know what exactly I am supposed to do. I have a lot of "Oh whoops sorry I didnt know I wasn't supposed to shoot you/blow that thing up" type moments,

You're in luck - Starcraft 2 has a matchmaking system even a total noob can enjoy :3.
BTW - can anyone verify that there aren't too many AvP players out there ? I found the beta to be probably the most intense multiplayer experience in my life and was considering eventually buying the game (after I plow through SOME of my GOGs... Familiar, huh ?)...

In return, I totally agree with you. :) UT2K4 is an astonishing game, and is responsible of one of the best multiplayer PC games out currently, Killing Floor!

I very much agree on that a multiplayer feature take away resources from single player, usually puts LAN in a patch or not at all, people are often REALLY annoying in random multiplayer sessions, the same with Bots as with LAN support and finally the balance issue which irritates me the most.
Why do always games nowadays have to be balanced? I fondly remember a time when multiplayer wasn't the norm and there was a real difference between classes in a FPS or RPG and factions in strategy games. Not to mention boring maps in strategy games where everybody have a mine, bonus, neutral city or whatever in equal amounts around them.
It boils down to difficulty level. I WANT some classes/factions/whatever to be better or worse. I want to have the choice to make my game harder by choosing something that is weaker than the rest or if I'm tired something that is easier. I want to start a random map in a strategy game and finding out that I'm almost defeated at the start or getting a really good spot and giving a cheer for my good luck.
Difficulty levels now is mostly done by stuff like handicapping players or giving the computer a bonus. Boring I say.
Don't tell me that strategy games now have easier or harder factions or that RPGs are the same with classes. They're just different. Ones you've learned to play them they've balanced because it they aren't gamers will give a crapload of complaints until it's patched. At least if multiplayer becomes popular with the game.
Let the pure multiplayer games be balanced, I don't care about that but DON'T balance mainly single player games with a multiplayer feature.

I play lots of single player games, I never seem able to focus on more than 1 multiplayer game. When I got the Orange Box, it was all about TF2. Then I got Couter-Strike: Source, and soon uninstalled TF2. Spent a couple evenings playing Serious Sam TFE: HD multiplayer, and never went back. I own plenty of game with multiplayer components that I never even bothered to try in multiplayer. Hell, I haven't even downloaded Crysis Wars which came with my Crysis pack purchase on Steam. And I don't have the slightest inclination to get L4D1 or 2, or even download the free Alien Swarm that everyone is crazy for.
Meanwhile, I keep playing various single player games, and getting my multiplayer fix out of CSS.