The evolution of games from solitary to social mirrors the evolution of society. Back in the day, before airplanes, automobiles, trains, and ocean liners, people were restricted in terms of who they associated with in their towns, villages, or cities. Communities were concentrated, and many activities were solitary by their very nature. Tending to cattle and crops were largely subsistence-based activities, often as solitary pursuits. The social aspect began with population growth and development, the industrial revolution, and unprecedented technological innovation.
Truthfully, it is so much more than that; the whole solitary to social is also a nuanced field. Our cultural zeitgeist is fashioned around human interaction, socialization, and community-driven initiatives. As the population of our planet expands, we see fewer solitary and more social activities across the board. Gaming is no exception. With 8 billion people on the planet Earth, and growing, solitary pursuits are increasingly rare in the age of widespread Internet connectivity. There is this sense among avid gamers that interactive, immersive, and engaging gameplay is superior to solitary activities.
Why are Skill Games Becoming More Sociable?
We have to give kudos to the dramatic and unprecedented advances in Internet connectivity. The perfect example of a solitary game that is now a social game is Solitaire, a.k.a. Patience or even Klondike. In this game, players are tasked with arranging a shuffled deck of cards in order. Typically, they should be placed by suit, from Ace to King. Players move cards from foundation piles, one per suit, and remove them from the board. It’s all about strategy-based thinking in these types of skill games.
Of course, Chess is another similar game, albeit with just two players in person, or one player versus a computer online. The traditional version of Chess played online against a computer opponent fits snugly into the solitary game category. We’ve certainly come a long way since basic PC games or handheld gaming devices. With widespread Internet connectivity today, we see unprecedented advances in the way games are created, played, and enjoyed. Skill games in particular enjoy ballooning popularity in the gaming community.
Leaderboards, Lobbies, and Live Tournaments
Strategy-based games tend to find a vast audience with ‘cerebral players’ – it’s the nature of the beast. Let’s circle back to Solitaire for a moment. While the game itself is played as a solitary endeavor online, the performance of the player can be pitted against the performance of other players via leaderboard challenges and tournaments. We see moves in this direction across the board. With multiple players competing individually in games using metrics to assess the performance of individual players from the community, it’s possible to generate a list of top-performing solitary players. This becomes a social gaming phenomenon.
The same is true with chess games, where players participate individually in a competitive arena, which becomes a social gaming activity. This transfers across the gamescape into the video game arena, where strategy-based games abound. Think of League of Legends (LOL), Runecraft, World of Warcraft (WOW), FIFA, or even Call of Duty games. In each instance, these are solitary games redefined as competitive multiplayer games. Thanks to the Internet, individual players are fine-tuning their skills along with other players anywhere in the world in MMORPG games with near limitless engagement potential. It’s the classic paradigm playing out in a brand new arena.
A New Era of Social-First Design in Skill Games
We’re now witnessing a new wave of game design that prioritizes community and collaboration from the ground up, think of Counter-Strike. Game developers are building platforms where social features aren’t retrofitted—they’re foundational. Live chat, cooperative challenges, and friend-versus-friend modes are the default, not the add-on. This reflects a broader design shift: players no longer want just to play—they want to participate. In-game economies, guilds, and match-based rivalries are part of the social ecosystem that turns passive play into shared experiences.
Even the UI/UX of these games emphasizes togetherness, with real-time updates, push notifications for group events, and seamless social sharing. The rise of game-watching platforms reinforces this communal approach, turning every game into a spectator-friendly and socially interactive event. Solitary gaming may never disappear, but in the modern skill game landscape, social connection is now expected!
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