Split-Screen Views

The one-sentence "definition" that should be in italics.

This pattern is a still a stub.

Examples

Borderlands and the Call of Duty, Halo, and Left 4 Dead series are examples of games allowing Split-Screen Views, at least on console versions of the games. Other examples - which are not First-Person Shooters - include the Mario Kart, Guitar Hero, and Super Monkey Ball series. Later installments in the Lego Star Wars series, which supports players joining and dropping out of the game without stopping game sessions, introduces split-screens dynamically as they are needed.

The Giant Bomb web site has a page for the concept of split-screen multiplayer which includes several more examples, and another one for dynamic split-screen.

Using the pattern

Split-Screen Views

Game State Overviews

Interface Aspects

Dealing with how to present information to several players on one screen, Split-Screen Views is an Information and Interface Pattern.

Consequences

Split-Screen Views allow for computer-based Real-Time Games to be Multiplayer Games even if they only can use one screen, and even when they support several screens provide players with an alternative where they can have better overview of each others actions. That player can see what the others are doing even if their Focus Loci are not co-present in a Game World can ease Cooperation. However, this pattern can make it difficult to have Asymmetric Information in a games since all players co-located and viewing the same Split-Screen View can see what the others sees.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Multiplayer Games

Can Modulate

Cooperation, Multiplayer Games, Real-Time Games

Can Be Instantiated By

-

Can Be Modulated By

Drop-In/Drop-out Game State Overviews

Possible Closure Effects

-

Potentially Conflicting With

Asymmetric Information

History

New pattern created in this wiki.