So there you are, breathing heavily, scanning the alley in front of you, looking out for any signs of zombies. You think to yourself, “My teammates are counting on me. Don’t screw this up.” And then, something clicks. You say, “The hell with this.” You run out of the alleyway, leaving your teammates behind, where you immediately are surrounded by the undead and killed. Game over.

Another similar scenario- Playing SOCOM, teamwork and cooperation is of extreme importance to survive. So what do I do? The round starts and I rush whichever chokepoint I think the enemy is running to, usually after they have already established their position. I get dead. Amount of time elapsed before death- 15 seconds.

The two examples above illustrate my inability to play in any sort of cooperative mode, yet I still do. There is only so much Free-for-All that I can play before it gets boring. And that is where cooperative modes come in. Camaraderie, the shared experience, the sum being greater than its individual parts, all these things that people tout as positive aspects of co-op modes are simply lost on me.



I find that it’s just easier to not have to depend on someone else for the victory, and more importantly, not feel the pressure of having the team’s success be dependent on my actions. I’m a spaz. I generally play without planning. This is usually a terrible sign in co-op modes, leaving me as a bullet magnet/meat shield for opponents. And I know this puts my teammates at a disadvantage because my actions leave them down a person and numbers advantages are important in most modes.

Then there are the alphas. Those that thrive on teamwork, communication, have an innate ability to talk to and plan strategy. They are the leaders, the ones that are able to look beyond the shortcomings of their teammates and can eek out a victory with better planning. They are fun to play with. They seem to have their head on straight. They see the words Cooperative Mode, and are able to do exactly that, cooperate. Unfortunately, that is not me.

Me? I’m the guy that ran towards the middle to meet up with a bullet with his name on it.