My story is simple. I’ve used gaming for a multitude of purposes: fun, relieve boredom, relax, play the role of the hero, play the role of the villain, and keep in touch with my friends. The last point is the one that is quite possibly the most important for me. I’m sure we’ve all had that one time where it was like pulling teeth to get the whole squad on and either to capture some points, plant some bombs, or wreck some zombies. My particular job is one which has me moved far away from my best friend. It has been forever that my best friend (I’ll call him Dwayne for now) and I have been using gaming to keep in touch. Yes, it would have been simpler to phone him, but we have always been drawn towards the virtual realm. With multiplayer gaming having come so far, we are able to add that dynamic to our long-distance friendship. We are drawn to a wide variety of games but I, for one, have enjoyed the full spectrum of gameplay. Although I like to relax with a good single player session, I find myself constantly drawn to multiplayer and co-op titles for the sheer enjoyment of playing with Dwayne.
We first started off with a simple and yet oh-so complex game called StarCraft. We played this game for years with a few other friends from time to time and had such a great time with it. Then StarCraft 2 was released, and it was like our childhood had returned. We realised that just as we had grown up, so too did our favourite game. This was once again years of our lives enjoyed. We soon took to new horizons and started to branch off into other games. We took up positions in Overwatch. We tried to tame in Ghost Recon wildlands. We identified the players in PUBG. We fell Titans in Titanfall. We lived dangerously in Elite Dangerous. We took over star systems in Stellaris. We tried to conquer in Total War Rome 2. We enjoyed dominating in Supreme Commander. Recently however, we’ve been on two Ubisoft titles: Rainbow Six Siege and For Honor. Both fantastic, as well as fantastically frustrating games, but they offer something we feel is unique: a quick yet deeply immersive experience. They also offer just enough time in between matches and respawns to get in a few words to catch up on each other’s lives. We also make time to raz each other too. A good gaming session should always have some healthy razing to get the competitive juices going. We seem to jump on each other when we get roasted by the Centurion’s combo of chain attacks (For Honor) but we also come together when either one or both of us has had a good game.
Gaming has allowed me to keep in touch with this individual beyond a 30 minute call home or a night out at a restaurant during one of my infrequent visits, reminiscing about the good times. It’s a pass time we are both passionate about. You also get the added benefit of friendly bragging when pulling ahead in the leaderboard: always a good laugh to be had.
Gaming has been the glue to keep us together for a long time now. It’s something we both enjoy and we both use it beyond its intended purpose. Gaming isn’t just about entertainment. We use it for that sense of community: to augment our long distance friendship and to fill the void in between visits. It’s more than just gaming; it’s bonding.
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