Personal Thoughts: Cooperative Games

"Sail" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Trick-Taking Game" continue to lounge on their sofa cushion in a growing squirrel pile of items that migrated from the office out into the living room, which my partner and I really should address. I would say the games haven't moved far, and while true to a degree, we played a couple more chapters of the LotR game, losing more often than we won.

And still it didn't bother me!

Well, okay, one of the times we lost made me face palm because we had 2 turns left to the end of the round, and I meant to play a different card than the one I had because it would have secured us the victory. My fumble cost us that round, and so I briefly kicked myself, but it was more of a lighthearted, "How could I get that wrong after playing 4D chess this whole time?!" than it was anything serious, and I was over it in the two minutes it took to set up the scenario again, which we would go on to lose another time or two before finally securing our win.

So, what gives? What about losing cooperative game scenarios doesn't hit the same way as it does for competitive games?

We'll be considering that question through the lens of co-op games this week.

A Time of Bonding

A couple months ago, I wrote a post about a niche aspect of my primary love language "Quality Time." Working together to accomplish a goal within a game fills that meter for me, whereas competitive games tend to deplete it. Only by "our powers combined," and through "the power of friendship," can we complete our objective, something that becomes far more difficult or impossible if your teammates are taken out (at least in certain games).

I have far more positive memories associated with cooperative gaming than I do with competitive ones, because when we would win, we would all share in the victory; when we would lose, we would all share in that disappointment or the determination to do better next time. You know, how sports really should be.

"Ms. Pac-Man"

I loved playing "Ms. Pac-Man" on the SNES as a kid. The only time I enjoyed playing it, however, was with my father (and maybe occasionally my older sister?), because playing alone was boring. I couldn't tell you how many times we beat all the levels of that game, and it doesn't matter.

We would play 2-player simultaneous mode, outmaneuvering ghosts while trying not to bump into each other, since doing so shoots you off in opposite directions. While hilarious, it can send you careening into any ghosts that might be on your tail.

(Achievement: Core memories unlocked.)

The levels were short, the cutscenes cute, and there was a real sense of having accomplished something together by the end.

The Stakes Aren't as High

Who are you going to lose face in front of when you play a cooperative game, your fellow players? Even if you're the weakest link in your team, the opponent isn't another person; it's just a computer. For me, that makes losing an easier pill to swallow, because if we failed, none of us failed alone, because each and every one of us lost. And if one person manages to "lone wolf" the entire round, allowing the rest of us to revive the next? Well, that's worth celebrating.

When facing off against another person, even in friendly competition, the stakes for me rise significantly. I feel like I have to do better than the other person, that I have to be smarter than them, that I have to come out on top otherwise the time spent wasn't worth it. It's really quite backwards, because to get better, you have to compete against those who are more skilled than you in order to improve, which means losing often until you can close the gap and pull out a win.

For these cooperative games, you might be able to increase the AI difficulty of your opponents, but there's a cap on that difficulty where, once exceeded, leads to stagnated growth. The mode of play becomes easier, and you as the player don't have to improve unless you introduce your own challenges and difficulties.

Other Team-Based Video Games

In the "Mass Effect 3" multiplayer mode, "Halo: Reach" firefight mode, "Gears of War" horde mode, and more, it's just you and your teammates shooting enemies. It's up to you and your teammates, usually a party of 3, to coordinate in order to ensure your survival to the end. (You could actually play these modes solo, but for the purposes of this post, we'll stick to teams.)

What makes these modes of play enjoyable are the strategic elements. Do you group up even though that means you're all dead if you get swarmed? Do you split up and spread the enemies out, making it easier to pick off small groups but increasing the risk of someone going down and nobody getting to them in time? For games like the "Mass Effect 3" multiplayer, do you, as the heavyweight character, grab the objective and hope your teammates are able to cover you as you deliver it, or do you charge around bashing in enemies to protect the squishy character who has it?

This kind of coordinated play lights up my brain like a disco ball in a rave. Not only are you trying to survive together, you're trying to fulfill specific objectives within a certain time limit as well. And yes, the time limit stresses me out, but at least we're all stressed out together.

Sharing an Emotional Connection with a Stranger

"Journey"

"Journey," by ThatGameCompany, might still be one of the most profound experiences I've ever had with gaming and was a breath of fresh air against all the shooting games that saturated the market in 2012.

The first time I ever played through it, I played solo, because I wanted to feel it out before I dared play online, so I knew that the companion(s) with whom you travel are other players and not computer guides.

What makes the game so remarkable is how limited you are in your ability to communicate with your partner. All you can do is chirp and flap your cloak and faceplant in the sand to get their attention. The most memorable companions are those who show you something you've never seen before or who seem to understand intuitively the kinds of shenanigans you want to get up to. From coasting for long periods of time in the air to making giant sand waves or playing with the carpets and more, no play through is exactly the same.

Traveling from start to finish with the same companion could move one to tears, especially if you spent multiple hours together showing each other your favorite spots and just engaging in the act of play, not just playing the game but playing within the game. For my most cherished companions, I would signal for them to sit and sing little songs to them, since the chirps have different pitches depending on which area you're in, and at the end, right before you both enter the light, we would draw and write best we could in the snow.

I made quite a few online friends this way, most of whom have gone our separate ways. Yet even now I remember the game with a bittersweet fondness. It very well may be, in my opinion, the ultimate collaborative game.

Solving a Puzzle Together

"Spirit Island"

In the game "Spirit Island" you play as a nature spirit who is trying to drive off invaders while trying to keep your island from blighting. You can choose to either work with the natives (Dahan) or not care a wit about them as you destroy towns and cities and send the invaders fleeing.

The game can get quite complex, especially as you play higher difficulty spirits and add more players to your table. A solo game plays differently from a 4-player game, a low complexity spirit requiring a different frame of mind from a higher complexity one. And that's not including the event cards or adding specific challenges to increase the difficulty of the game.

It's up to you and your fellow players to puzzle out the best approaches each turn, whether it be to hold down your own section of the island or send help to a struggling teammate. Some spirits activate faster than others, and it takes everyone collaborating to keep the island from blighting one too many times or reaching the end of the invader deck, both of which are lose conditions.

I'll admit, this game can stress me out. As the numbers of cities and towns and blight increases (the game's "time limit" mechanic), the more overwhelming it can all feel, but my partner and I haven't lost a game in which we've played together yet, even though there have been a few times where the odds looked sketchy.

This game relies on teamwork. If one person doesn't understand how their spirit plays and doesn't figure it out within the first few rounds, the chances of winning decrease significantly as others have to try and balance their section while sending forces to help the other player. When you win a game, you know it's because you played a major part in that victory alongside everyone else. You all share in the accomplishment.

But it's the exchange of ideas and plans and tactics that makes me love this game. You have to communicate with one another in a way that neither "Sail" nor "The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring Trick-Taking Game" allow, and there's nothing I love more than a good discussion that progresses toward a shared goal.

Competition vs Cooperation: Tying It All Together

Competition motivates people, there's no doubt about that. Having a person or a team as your rival can motivate you to push beyond the limits of what you thought possible, which makes for a powerful extrinsic motivator.

Yet for somebody who is as intrinsically motivated as I am, competition seems to add another layer of stress that rarely outweighs the benefits. I don't necessarily thrive on competing with others — in fact, I think I oftentimes do worse the more I do try to compete with others — because I am constantly focusing on outperforming myself.

Plus, it seems to me that most competitions are secretly time trials, and time trials in games already stress me out.

Chess matches are timed. Debates are timed. Sports like softball are timed in the sense that you are trying to defeat your opponent by so many points by the end of the final inning.

Yet in games like "Ms. Pac-Man" or "Journey", you could spend as much time as you want in a single area without repercussion (as long as you don't get eaten by ghosts in the case of Ms. Pac-Man). "Mass Effect" multiplayer has specific missions that are timed, and I've already talked about the time limit mechanic in "Spirit Island," which can both get stressful, but if you're playing with a group, managing that time becomes easier.

So, it would seem, for me, that competition always serves to elevate certain individuals while putting others down, whereas the focus of collaboration is to uplift everyone so you can complete your objective.

As the youngest in my family, I don't think I won very many competitions against my sisters growing up. I was never really "the best" at any one thing, preferring to be good at many different things instead, and that probably means competitive areas will never become my strong suit.

At least now I understand why I prefer cooperative play and why losing in competitive games can make me feel quite inadequate, and that's always good to know.

Summary of Notable Accomplishments (8.19 - 8.25):

• Transcribed Sessions 141 & 142 for our Skies Over Aefala campaign (~8 hours' worth of audio)

  • Started writing a small funeral "performance" in preparation for Monday's (8.31) session 143

• Read 3 more chapters of "Ultralearning" + took notes

  • 2 chapters to go, apparently!

  • I can already tell that seeking "Feedback" is going to be the hardest part for me

  • Started writing down a list of potential projects but haven't locked in to anything yet

• Started reading "Shogun"

  • 78 pages in and what I've noticed is that, aside from the vivid prose, there's a sigh-worthy amount of bellyaching among the "Christian" men and more exposition than I feel is necessary

• Built With Science:

  • Chest x2

  • Shoulders

  • Arms

  • Legs

  • I swapped Back & Chest days on Wednesday so that I'm going 3-4 days in between band-assisted pull-ups instead of 4-5 days (Chest & Shoulders are pull-up days)

• Pilates 3x

• With the temperatures starting to cool, I've increased my walking time

Real Talk:

• Do you prefer competition or cooperation? Or do you enjoy both for different reasons? I'm curious to hear about others' experiences, especially those different from mine.

This Week's Obligatory Cat Pic: Mura