There was a time about twelve years ago that I didn’t actually see myself playing games online. I figured playing online would be the defining generation gap between myself at age 30 and pretty much everyone else younger than me. None of my friends had the kind of ISP that accommodated online gaming. The games that conversations centered on were PC shooters that I had no experience with. And my taste in games skewed traditional to begin with.

Then came Gears of War. One amazing title took what I was used to when it came to action and adventure and grafted it perfectly with cooperative play online that reminded of sitting on the couch with my brother. My previous notion of online play was defined by the Quake marathons that my college roommates would log into.

Gears of War had a perfect mix of intense, gotta-see-the-next-level moments, difficulty spikes, and a captivating story. So, my brother, Dad, and a handful of our friends began scheduling our evenings around linking up on the nascent XBox Live. But more importantly than the game itself, was the opportunity it gave my family and friend group to rally around something that kept us in touch in a much more meaningful way than texting or social media ever could.

Over the years a new or different game has come along to fill that niche. Recently we have been clamoring for each new FromSoftware game to come out, so that we could treat it like it was made to be played in co op all the way through.

But what is it for you? Which game do you play is more about connecting with your people than the game itself? Tell us about it in the comments or the Boss Rush Discord!