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Multiplayer games need to capture nods and smiles

Smile and wave

A tour guide speaks to three recruits in Final Fantasy XIV.

Recently, I’ve moved out of the city and into a little village in the middle of nowhere. Look outside the window and I see trees, maybe a little house nestled atop a hill. I walk past sheep and hope they don’t shuffle away from me this time, as it could mean we’re finally mates. At night it gets really dark, darker than you think is possible. An owl screeches and it scares the bejeezus out of me.

Yeah, it’s nice out here. But getting into the village by car is a challenge. The roads are wobbly and narrow, with little patience for noisy machines. This means I’ve had to stop and let other cars pass a lot. At first it was irritating, but now I’ve come to enjoy it. Getting a wave or a flash of the lights warms the heart and can turn a bad day into a good one. It strikes me that multiplayer games lack this fleeting comradery, which is a shame.

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Ed Thorn avatar
Ed Thorn: When Ed's not cracking thugs with bicycles in Yakuza, he's likely swinging a badminton racket in real life. Any genre goes, but he's very into shooters and likes a weighty gun, particularly if they have a chainsaw attached to them. Adores orange and mango squash, unsure about olives.
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