With the launch of the PS4 comes what I can only assume is the final nail in the coffin of big video games consoles.

Their big selling point is a ‘Share button’ in the middle of the controller. Sony has attempted to break down all of social interaction into a single button press. Apparently friends will be able to ‘watch over your shoulder’ and watch you play. This is less engaging than actually standing behind someone playing a video game.

I recently bought an Xbox after having a good alien blast through the new Halo with a friend. When I went to buy some new games I was stunned by how few had actual mutliplayer; It’s all done online.

Modern video games seem to be embedded behind the screen with almost no understanding of the context in which people play. When I was growing up controllers had leads. Really, really short leads. This meant when you where playing street fighter, you had to sit directly next to your opponent. So close in fact, you could gain an advantage through a brief assault on their joy-pad which would inevitably lead to retaliation and all out warfare. This was the reason we tolerated such simple and repetitive games, what was happening off screen was infinitely more amusing.

Here is my suggestion for a different form of social gaming. No faffing about with plastic guitars (although that was a good gimmick), just reusing existing controllers to create the proper multiplayer experience with proper injuries.

You control your movement on the thumb-stick of your controller (left if you sit on the left, right if you sit on the right). But the rest of your controls are on your opponents controller. You have to work together to play but you can mash your opponents controller when you feel like they need to be taken down a peg.