Last weekend I went to Texas to visit Keri. While I might say I did it to take some family photos for her, I really did it to have some drinks and hang out. It was a ton of fun to say the least! It also made me realize just how much I miss LAN parties, couch co-op, and just getting together with friend to play video games…in person…like in the same room!
When I arrived, we had to setup for a podcast. While we were podcasting, I was busy doing things such as playing Elite: Dangerous and Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls. Keri looked over and commented how pretty Elite: Dangerous was. She also got to see just how easy it was to make oodles of money in D3.
Where things really get fun is when I played Dragon Age: Origins. I hooked my laptop up to her television so we didn’t have to hunker down around a smaller laptop screen. As we sat on the inflated bed, she got to see just how deadly I am to the inhabitants of Ferelden. It was humorous to hear/see her reactions to various aspects of how different my experience was going versus hers.
Being in the same room and sharing the same experiences led to something unexpectedly handy. Keri was able to use the strategy guide and help me out. She was able to easily tell me if my chosen courses of murder were going to make my life worse, or if my killing spree was just another day in the life of Vlad the Heartless. This wouldn’t have been so easy had we not been in the same room and sharing this experience.
Things became even more interesting when her husband and another friend joined us. Suddenly there were jokes going around about how cool Vlad was. As I was a few drinks in, there was a bit more back seating going on, and that was totally cool. By the time I finished my quest, we all had some good laughs at the misfortunes of the peons of the land.
As Keri drove me to the airport, we talked about how it would be fun to live closer to one another so that we could both just play this game in the same room and compare our stories. It also made me realize just how much I miss having friends over to play video games. To talk smack at someone else’s failure. To be in awe after a friend brings down a difficult boss. To just share in the enjoyment that is exploring a virtual world together while sipping on an adult beverage and consuming junk food.
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