For many couples, gaming together is the new quality time together. However, it doesn't come without challenges. Finding time and accommodating different tastes is part of the process.
“I've always felt that games are something we should experience together. I mean, we watch movies together, go to concerts together—so why not play games together?” says Josef Fares, the game’s creator and game director at Hazelight Studios. “There is so much to explore creatively when designing a story for two players with unique personalities.
“It is actually a very important scene,” Fares explains, “as it is the absolute lowest point of the parents. It's a part of their emotional evolution of not understanding what's important for them. It's not a joke, but it is dark humor—and with dark humor, some people get it and some people don't.” on two-player games and collaboration. Players who contributed more in the game than their partner were less willing to cooperate and share their team earnings, whereas players who contributed equally had a much greater willingness to collaborate and work together towards a shared goal.
Bland’s research has implications for real-life relationships. Her work implies that trust is important to cooperate and play together successfully, something anyone who’s played multiplayer games can probably tell you. You and a group of people you don’t know likely don’t trust each other—and won’t collaborate as well either—as a team stacked with players who know and trust each other already.