So I’ve played a few games recently that implement a system I believe shows the true kindness of the gaming world: random online co-op.
When I say random online co-op, I’m not referring to battle royales and round-based online FPS titles. Carrying somebody in Fortnite is a noble feat, but not what I’m talking about. I’m specifically talking about the games where multiplayer co-op is completely optional, and is really only there for a helping hand. It’s hard to find the words to describe what I’m talking about, so I’m just going to pose the games I hinted at above as examples.
The games in question that I’ve played recently are Wild Hearts and Genshin Impact. Now before you say, “But Ruby, you choose what servers you go into in these games! You can choose to play these games with friends!”, hear me out: I know. However, random co-op is possible in all of these games and I genuinely think that going out of your way to jump into a stranger’s game and give them a hand is an act of kindness unlike anything else.
Wild Hearts
Wild Hearts is one of the games I mentioned above that has the “option” to play with friends. I put “option” in quotations there (imagine they are my fingers doing sarcastic air quotes) because this game basically begs you to play with other people. These monsters are huge, unforgiving, and are a pain in the arse to deal with alone.
So yeah, you can play with friends and you probably should. But what if you don’t have any friends? What if you can’t be bothered organising a play session with friends? No problem, all you have to do is choose the “Ask for Help” option when going into a Kemono hunt and wait. Soon enough, you’ll potentially have complete randoms join your game and fight alongside you.
Sure, there are bonuses in it for them as well. They get little tidbits they might need to upgrade equipment and become more powerful. That being said, there’s something ultimately heartwarming about giving a helping hand and then bowing when the job is done. I love it. Well worth the pain of linking my PlayStation and EA accounts.
Genshin Impact
Similarly to Wild Hearts, you do have the option of playing Genshin Impact with friends or with strangers. What set it apart from Wild Hearts for me though was the drop-in-drop-out system of it. As well, the chat function added an extra layer of communication with these sweet randoms.
In Genshin Impact, you have the option to turn on “Co-Op Mode” while playing. This allows pretty much anybody the option to join your game, although they do have to ask first. That being said, while I played in Co-Op Mode I had so many different folks from all around the world decide to pop into my game, say hello in chat, and offer me any help in battle.
Realistically, these folks could simply just play their own game and progress in their own world. That being said, I think there’s something incredibly wholesome about somebody making the decision to go into other people’s game just to give them a helping hand fighting some big baddies.
The beauty of these games’ co-op systems is that there’s honestly no real way to really mess with somebody’s progress, and is really just an opportunity for you to do something nice. So hey, next time you’re playing Genshin Impact, Wild Hearts, or any other game that just lets you jump into somebody else’s play session, why not do just that and help ’em out?
If you’ve got a game that you love for this very same reason, or if you even have a memory of getting through a game with a complete stranger by your side, chuck it down in the comments.
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