Ahh multiplayer games.

They can be so entertaining. People playing, laughing, and having a good ol' time together. I've always loved playing games with chums. The sense of either working together to punish some baddies or kicking the daylights out of your friend's digital entity. Of course nowadays we have the choice of playing online, offline, or even a bit of both. But there's one thing I haven't gotten used to. Playing with complete strangers. Now don't get me wrong, you all out there MAY be nice. But overall I still think you're a bunch of twats.

One of my fondest multiplayer memories is actually pretty recent. About a year and changed ago, my good friends finally decided to get 360s. The first game we all played together on the system was COD4. Now I had my 360 for about a year or so prior to my friends getting it. It was cool playing on Xbox Live with randoms or what not. But to play with my friends was to me a totally different experience. It just gave us a chance to hang out even when the weather was crummy or if one of us wasn't feeling well. Gave us all a chance to just BS about our days at work or what not. But most of all, it gave us a chance to blow crap and other people up together.

A few weeks later, I got Rock Band. I gathered everyone to try the game out, boy was that a blast. Whether it was myself belting out Blondie or my friends just rocking out on the drums and guitar, it gave us all a chance to goof off and enjoy the moment. It's now a bi-weekly thing that we do on the weekends.

Games have such a special place in my heart. They give me a chance to slip out of reality for a bit, take out my frustrations and stress from the real world. And now with my buddies on there as well, it gives us all a chance to experience that together. Most of all, it makes me feel like a kid again.