Like our wolf cousins, we’re social animals. A few months back, I spoke about being a Lone Wolf, and how much it hurts being without a pack. Half the fun of gaming, at least for me, is sharing with friends. Don’t get me wrong, I love the experiences to had. Where else can you be a space ranger, brave knight, or young girl traveling across an apocalyptic version of America? And in some of those instances, would you want to do that? I sure as hell wouldn’t! 
Games are great because of the escapism they provide. But at least half the fun (at least in my book) is being able to play with others. To share it with friends. I started playing Red Orchestra 2 and Chivalry: Medieval Warfare with my younger cousin Jake a few months back. He urged me to create a Steam Group so we could gather more friends. And like most things, I got to it in my own time – fashionably late!
Interestingly, what prompted it was a meetup with an old friend of mine, by the name of Josh. We go back. Way back to the days of Middle School. We kept in touch through the wonders of FaceBook. But it wasn’t until we met up for a meal in late December that the ball really got rolling. “We need to play together!” he said. “I know!” I replied. The two of us have also been friends on Steam for years, but we never really played together. It was until I saw him in person that I realized that I missed Josh. He’s such a great guy and a dear friend. And like many of my friends, he’s been following this little blog, for which I am truly grateful and humbled. Another mutual friend of ours, John, had reached out to me a few months before. The two of us chatted online. And though it seemed like John would be getting a new xbox, at the last minute he decided to build a PC. Around New Years, John and I tried to meet up. Unfortunately, the craziness of the holiday didn’t allow us to do that. But I spoke to him on the phone a few times leading up to that. And I realized that I missed John too!
Something clicked. And it seemed the old crew, now scattered across the country in our adulthood, were coming back together.
And it felt fucking great.
We’ve been playing at least every other weekend, and for the first time since my hop back to PC, I can honestly say I’m content. We play the same games together. We even manage to pull in our significant others from time to time! The small group of gamers I’d pull together to play Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, and Halo are back at it, nearly twenty years later!
I couldn’t be happier.
John has always been a sniper in our digital duels of yore. We played Chivalry a few weeks back, and the sweet ginger-haired bastard immediately put an arrow in my noggin then laughed in glee, just like he did when we were kids!
Last night, Josh, Jake, John and myself were running around like mad men in Red Orchestra 2 and just kicking ass. John sat back sniping and called out targets as me Josh and Jake rolled through the opposition, purging the world of fascism in the streets of Stalingrad! I never thought four people could make such a difference in 64-player servers. But we did. And it was beautiful!
Jake takes aim!
We live in a wonderful world. Being a geek or nerd now is a whole lot different than when I was growing up. It’s being embraced by the majority of our culture. And maybe even valued or revered.
Damn crazy if you ask me. But that’s life I guess. Always in flux, changing.
Despite all the new variables added or taken away in our lives, some things never change. John used to always laugh when he put a bullet in someone’s brain during our digital conflicts. I’m happy to hear him still do that. It takes me back to another time, when I was a boy, playing games with some of these same guys in our parents’ basement. Playing with them again… The nostalgia is palpable.
Gaming with my friends is a reminder of who I was… Of who I’ve always been, actually. It’s also reminded me that there’s no shame in that.
It’s okay to be different. Because in the end, no matter how different you may actually think you are, you might be surprised to find that there’s others out there just like you. And you’re not alone.
I’m happy to be gaming with the friends of my youth. I hope to see our little family grow. It already has with the addition of Jake. Even if it doesn’t though, I’m content. But you’re more than welcome to join us. 
Gaming with the crew of yore. And we’re still at it!
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