Does a split-screen feature add value to a game for you?

I can't seem to edit my poll, so I wanted to clarify that shared-screen local multiplayer is also included in what I'm considering to be a "split-screen feature". So if you played games like Trines, Spelunky, Lara Croft, etc. then you know what I'm talking about

split screen feature in video games never had any value for me ever. not even on consoles, sp campaigns only, not a fan of co-op or multiplayer or mmo.

Unless you dont have friends or family to play with I dont see how the option doesnt add value at least a little. There are some games that are more sp experiences, but there is not harm in playing with someone every now and then, even if its on a different mode

I agree. I don't spend all my time split-screen gaming (probably very little over all), but having a lot of friends who like to game, I usually find it a nifty feature (and often am sad when it's missing where it's expected).

But I suppose there are people out there who don't have buds or family they can game with in person (it's hard to find people with shared interests), or their PC setup isn't very conducive for multiple people in the same room.

It is not that important for me, but is nice when people are over. It is kind of painful to play splitscreen, but the social aspect is fun. LAN setup is very fun, but is very expensive and you need the room to accommodate it.

If a game has the option and its fun I'll probably use it. I'm not sure I would buy a game just because it had splitscreen support though.

A lot of games struggle to get the control options right though. I think Serious Sam 3: BFE is the only one to have really good support for using either controllers, multiple mice + keyboards or various combinations. With Rocket League you need two controllers which I think is pretty dumb.

A few years ago people at my work were trying to get a regular LAN party thing going, often expecting me to organize the event and be there. LAN setups take a lot of work. They require a lot of space, and taking a desktop outside the house (along with a monitor, etc.) is 100x the head ache of moving the PC around inside the house. Sure, it's fun, but for me it was too much hauling stuff around to other places.

There are many games where split-screen really is little detriment. In Rocket League, for example, dividing the screen space in half on a big screen has pretty much 0 negative impact on gameplay. In many ways, it makes it easier to coordinate strategy in 2v2's and 3v3's. Even dividing the screen into 3's or 4's isn't that bad - it's something that's maybe slightly annoying from an idealistic PoV but if you have the people, who cares? Having extra players simply adds more fun sometimes.

My PC setup accommodates 3 players very well. I've got a futon, couple of chairs, and a table for holding drinks, weed, and hash. Awesome for Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros, NFL Blitz, etc. Even just taking turns playing CS:GO, RO2, or any game online is a lot of fun if you combine drinks and/or weed into the equation. It's a lot more casual for me than dragging my PC and all my gear to some other place.

I just really miss games like Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance and Champions of Norrath. Coop hack and slash on the same screen is an absolute blast. That's why I'm really looking forward to Victor Vran including the feature.

Also for some games (only tried it with Rocket League but it works) you can have a multi-monitor setup so each player gets their own screen with Nvidia Surround.

I have two monitors and will soon be getting a TV which I will be hooking up to the PC with a HDMI cable without having to move it. So it would be possible if I had three controllers to have one person playing on the TV and another two players on the two monitors, so each player will have their own screen running from just one computer. I expect that would be pretty taxing on my hardware but very damn cool if it works.

when Serious Sam 4 hits assuming it has splitscreen support I'll probably try and make this work, should be pretty awesome.

that kind of crazy setup is something you cant do on consoles.

No. I much prefer internet co-op.

Not once has split screen added value to me. I didnt even like it when I played on consoles, gave me a headache and it felt cheap

Yes. Especially for PC ports. If a pc port of a multi-plat game does not have the same feature-set of the console versions (in this case split-screen support), then in my eyes it is automatically inferior. Either the devs include everything, or don't even bother releasing it for PC.

And all of the devs who DO skip out on this feature, well knowing that it is available only for consoles... well screw you.

that was true many years ago. but recently i've found that anyone that wants to play games even a couple hours a week has a gaming-capable laptop. many of my friends have gaming laptops so they don't even need to go down to medium settings.

I know a lot of gamers, but maybe only a couple have gaming laptops. Out of the 7 people who attended the last LAN party we put together a couple years ago, not a single one had a gaming laptop that I recall. I'll probably never buy a gaming laptop either - they simply offer poor value compared to desktops. Can't justify dropping 1k+ on something that will be junk in a few years, and I'd have little use for it. If I needed to game on the go, perhaps, but I don't.

Never been a fan of split screen. Ever.

Ofcourse.... Split Screen can only be a good thing.

I haven't used the feature in a long long time. It's fine if splitscreen is included so long as it doesn't get in the way. I wouldn't shed any tears if it's not.