Gamasutra Member Blogs: Local Co-op Falls, Subscription-Based Shooters Rise?

In highlights from Gamasutra's Member Blogs, our bloggers write about diverse topics, including the demise of local co-op, behind the scenes features in games, and the possibility of a subscription-based shooter. Member Blogs can be maintained by any registered Gamasutra user, while invitation-only Expert Blogs -- also highlighted weekly -- are written by selected development professionals. We hope that our blog sections can provide useful and interesting viewpoints on our industry. For more information, check out the official posting guidelines. Here are the top member blogs for the week: This Week's Standout Member Blogs - The Death Of Local Co-op (Isaiah Taylor) Isaiah Taylor examines the dwindling popularity of local co-op, and offers several possible reasons why online co-op games do not capture the spirit of gathering around a couch with some friends. - Letting Go Of Game Contractors (Kimberly Unger) After several of her contractors bailed out of a project halfway through development, Kimberly Unger reevaluated her system of paying contractors and now offers advice to other developers to prevent these debacles in the future. - Bringing Your Fans Closer By Showing Them Behind The Curtain (Glenn White) Glenn White suggests that more games feature bonus materials such as director's commentary, which would help bridge the gap between players and developers, as well as encourage users to play their games more than once. - Irony Trumps Satire: Ian Bogost's Cow Clicker (Ron Newcomb) In the wake of Cow Clicker's relative popularity, Ron Newcomb notes that the game's satirical message is lost in the game's success, as its audience proves to be accepting of even the most outrageously mindless game mechanics. - Opinion: Would A Subscription FPS Be The End Of The World? (David Hughes) The thought of a subscription-based FPS is enough to make many players groan, but David Hughes examines this potential business model, suggests several necessary features and offers the likely problems such a system would bring.