PAS2.2: Couch Multiplayer

As I’ve said in many posts before, I started playing video games at a relatively young age. At the same time, I, like many children, had parents who were constantly worried about the threat of strangers and online predators who might try to take advantage of a kid like myself. As such, while I had relatively free rein over my access to the internet, I was strictly forbidden from engaging with people online and was strongly discouraged from asking for games that might provide that opportunity. Consequently, I spent most of my childhood unable to enjoy all but a few games that offered online multiplayer. Fortunately, between my dad during my early childhood and my friends later on, I rarely minded my unfamiliarity with online gaming because I still got to enjoy something even better: couch multiplayer.

For those who don’t know, couch (or local) multiplayer is when the person you’re playing with is sitting on the same couch (or in the same room) as you, hence the name. This form of multiplayer was obviously fine by my parents since the only people I would be playing with were friends and family members. Before I moved to a new town with more friends who lived closer to me, my dad was my gaming partner. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, much of my early childhood was spent in the basement with him, playing LEGO Batman and Harry Potter for hours on end. Memories of that time make up a very large portion of the happy memories I had with my dad throughout my childhood and especially before my parents’ divorce.

Once I moved from State College to Mechanicsburg with my mom and sister, however, I began making with lots of people, including a group of boys who had the same interest in video games that I did. After a few years of settling into my new environment, I had a stable group of friends that I had regular sleepovers with. Those nights were always fun and were most often spent watching movies and playing 4-person games late into the night. Although I eventually drifted away from the group and found friends who weren’t as interested in gaming, I still think back on those sleepovers fondly and occasionally enjoy playing with my current friends when we gather at one of our dorms.

While these larger gaming groups are rare, I do spend a lot of time playing co-op (two-player) games with my girlfriend. I’ve found that playing games specifically designed to be completed by two people working together is a really good way to bond and grow closer with the person you play with. In fact, having someone to play one-on-one with for the first time in years has allowed me to enjoy games I never could on my own and become closer to someone in a way I never could before. In all, local multiplayer games have been a source of enjoyment and a great way to connect with the people I care about for my entire life.