How my partner finally learned to love video games – Reader’s Feature GameCentral Published April 19, 2025 9:00am Surprisingly, Baldur’s Gate 3 does have a split-screen mode (Larian Studios) A reader reflects on the social nature of modern gaming and the positive experience of playing together with another person. I enjoy gaming, a form of escapism from the negativity of modern life. Recently, my partner decided she wanted to enter the digital domain and started looking into ways we could play together. She started looking at controllers and I started looking at games to play. Somewhat naively I presumed local co-operative multiplayer games would still be readily available, but they proved elusive. Dusting off the Xbox Series X and browsing through the marketplace, finding a local couch co-op game was a challenge. There wasn’t a plethora of titles readily available but, thanks in part to backwards compatibility, some of the greatest hits from the Xbox 360 library are available to play. Not an obvious title to ‘enjoy’ together but the first game that came to mind was Resident Evil 5 and a local split-screen option. Gaming has become a more solitary experience in recent years. A subjective viewpoint, I’ll concede, but as a form of entertainment gaming seems increasingly focused on social dynamics and interaction. But looking at any random gaming stream, it’s predominantly individuals on their own, communicating through comments and subscriptions, in the absence of another person. The architecture of modern gaming is built around facilitating immediate online access, so perhaps the notion of sitting beside someone and experiencing a game in each other’s company is archaic. With some exceptions, the notion of multiplayer gaming today is built around online play, not local co-op. The halcyon days of dusting off GoldenEye 007 on the N64 on a weekend, with three of your friends on one small screen, is a distant memory. To avoid coming across like a cantankerous old man romanticising the past, the trajectory of playing online evolved through gamer demand and preference. There is, however, a tangible joy in experiencing gaming together with a friend or partner in each other’s company. I picked up a green controller in the Boxing Day sales, when the sticks started experiencing drift in my old one. To lean into stereotypes somewhat, my partner decided to pick up a contrasting pink controller. We now have complimentary his and hers controllers to enjoy our gaming experience, although it did start a conversation on finding custom controller plates; I’d quite enjoy a Borg themed design, she was musing on a Jane Austen print. Playing a game together was a lovely way to spend the day together, a few frustrations here and there but it reminded me of the joy of playing with someone else. Which isn’t to denigrate online gaming, it’s a popular way to play together – the main way today’s gamers experience co-operative campaigns on modern releases. In the last generation, a few of my old buddies would schedule a session together online after work, to experience Ghost Recon: Wildlands and then Breakpoint a year or two later, to live out our frustrated soldier fantasies. It was fun to play together that way, but it lacked that spark of being in each other’s company. Different companies create different ways to experience cooperative games, Nintendo is the best example of championing a balanced approach between the online solo experience and designing their hardware to facilitate local co-op gaming. The original Switch model utilised detachable controllers for certain titles but even their older console releases, such as the SNES, came with two controllers to play together. Going all the way back to the original Pokémon games using a data link transfer cable to connect the original Game Boys, nearly every Nintendo console release has encouraged a communal experience. Scrolling through the online store, it was nice to discover a few games with the option to play side-by-side. It Takes Two and A Way Out were two of the recommended games, but it was also nice to see Baldur’s Gate 3 offering a split-screen option on the Xbox Series X. Shooting the infected together in Resident Evil or the Horde in Gears Of War is fun for a while but it would be nice to play together in a fantasy setting. The options available to play together are relatively modest but there are still a couple of games we can enjoy side-by-side. When she decided to embrace what I enjoy as something we could do together, it was nice to be able to make that a reality. If gaming is a form of escapism from the maelstrom of negativity, it’s nice to have someone to experience that with in person. More Trending Thank you for reading. By reader comfortablyadv (Twitch/Facebook/Instagram/X) It Takes Two – the perfect game for couples (EA) The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro. You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy