Tonight's post is going to be relatively short as I have to post by midnight (or I turn back into a pumpkin). The topic of tonight's post may not touch directly upon playing co-op/competitively, but I think it counts; hopefully I can convince you as well.

Last year for the 'Blog-a-Day in May' Competition, I began the month by touching upon my favorite video games of all time. The first game I discussed was Fallout 3, and one of the reasons that I picked it as my favorite was because of the shared connection I had with my best friend Justin while we were playing the game.

Fallout 3, as I'm sure you're aware, is a single-player only game. How then, could I have had anything remotely resembling a co-op experience while playing the game? Simple. By telephone.

Justin and I spent the first month playing Fallout 3 talking on the phone. He lives in Orlando, and I'm in Tallahassee, so phone-calls were the most expedient way for us to have conversations. (And yes, I'm aware of parties on xbox live...I really don't remember why we didn't use that more often). And let me tell you something, we called each other all the time. For a game like Fallout 3, it was fascinating to see just how different each of our adventure's could be. We would talk all the time, whether it was sharing tips, asking advice, or figuring out the best way to navigate the Capitol Wastelands, we always had something to talk about in regards to Fallout. I remember one Saturday where we literally spent three hours on the phone as each of us navigated different sections of the subway system under Washington, D.C.

Now I know we weren't technically playing the game together, but I think that our phone conversations definitely shaped the way we approached the game itself. Not only that, but it was an excellent chance for two friends who don't see each other that often to catch up on things in our respective lives. It was quite the unexpected side-effect, but I cherish the time we spent discussing Fallout.

Anyway, I think that's all I'm going to post tonight. I originally had this grand plan for this post, but the lateness of the hour, as well as the amount of beer inside me are conspiring against the chances of this resembling anything close to a quality post.

GOOD NIGHT!

mw