So I have this grand idea that I'm going to post three separate blogs about May's 'Monthly Musings', the chances of that actually happening though? MINIMAL AT BEST.

However, on the off chance that I do actually follow through on this, I think I'd like to start out by addressing what I feel is one of the most important aspects of co-op/competitive gaming; playing with someone else in the room.

I'm going to give you a little personal background; I've been engaged for just over 4 weeks now, and one of the reasons that my fiancee (remember fellas, unless you're marrying a dude, you're gonna need to drop that extra 'e' on there) work so well together, besides the fact that she can tolerate me being a six year-old (mentally), is that we both love playing video games.

I've been playing video games for over 20 years now, and for me, whenever I dated someone, it was important that that person not only tolerate my...ahem...addiction, but also that they genuinely participate as well. If they couldn't handle that, well then...so long. Which is why I'm so lucky with Kelly (among other, more obvious reasons, the first of which being my remarkable lack of common sense).

For me, I could sit on the couch playing a single-player game, or something online on my 360 for hours at a time, no questions asked. But part of being in a committed relationship means that you don't get to do everything you want at the expense of your partner, and the fact that Kelly loves video games as well...well...that means I'm probably luckier than I deserve. It also means that we (as of right now) play two very awesome, yet very different games together; Castle Crashers and Portal 2.


This. This is her favorite thing in the ENTIRE game. We both probably have issues.

I'm going to be honest with you; our relationship changes depending on which game we're currently playing. With Castle Crashers, we're both working together towards a common goal, and it's rare for either of us to become irate with the other. As long as she has pooping deer and the ability to smack someone with a fish, she's happy. I'm happy too, happy that we can share something like this. At least...with Castle Crashers that is...when it comes to Portal 2...well...um...things are a little bit more...complicated. And by complicated I mean she's usually 2 seconds away from murdering me where I stand (totally my fault).

The point is, whether we're fighting or working together...or fighting when we're supposed to be working together, we're at least doing it TOGETHER. I think that's the most important part of playing video games with someone else present (and it doesn't have to be your significant other), you're doing something with somebody else. Listen, I can sit down and play Fallout 3 for 7 hours straight, but has that really done anything for me outside of personal gratification? Probably not. However, by playing games with my fiancee, at the very least, I could argue that I'm strengthening our relationship (even when she seems exasperated with me). We're communicating, we're problem-solving, and most importantly, we're sharing an experience that is particular to us. By playing these games together, we're making an active commitment to share a little bit of ourselves with each other, and really, I think that's one of the most fascinating aspects of gaming today; the shared experiences that you create with someone else.

I think that wraps up Part One of my Monthly Musing piece. Tomorrow I'd like to talk about online co-op/competitive gaming, so tune in tomorrow night to see if I actually stick to my guns.

mw