L
eft 4 Dead represented
a turning point in how
I socialise through
games. In 2008, LAN
parties were still
around and I had a good group I’d
play games with at my old IT gig at
the University of Montana. We’d
take over the office after-hours and
run through a list of custom
Warcraft III games (a lot of the
original DotA before I realised what
a mistake I was making), some
Quake and Unreal, Counter-Strike
and the like. The common thread:
all competitive. Worse, so was
everyone in the room. Things got
heated, and after a lifetime of
football and wrestling coaches
teaching me how to boil blood, I
shut down the moment someone
took a game too seriously. I still do.Left 4 Dead changed the mood
completely. We went in on a few of
those early four-packs and spreadthem around. No one was
particularly excited about Left 4
Dead, but it was a Valve game so we
had to give it a go. We didn’t play
anything else for the whole semester.
We started inviting more people
to game nights because working
together to survive a zombie
apocalypse was a far more appealing
activity than getting wiped by Mike
in every game ever. Enough people of
varying skill levels would show up to
get a few groups going, each dancing
with the AI director at their own
lovely rhythm, bouncing between
despair and hope. The screaming in
the office shifted from anger to a
chorus of yelping barely discernible
as calls for help and ensuing
thank-yous. Rather than end each
session deflated, saying nothing and
shambling off to our dorms, we’d
stick around or walk somewhere
together, maybe get food, breaking
down a dramatic standoff at Dead
Air’s refuelling finale, or howLEF T: All these
zombies could use a
hug and some words
of affirmation.BROUGHT 2 LIFE
How LEFT 4 DEAD cured a toxic LAN environment.
By James DavenportLEFT 4 DEADPC GAMING LEGENDS