Every day this week, I'm counting down my five favorite gaming accomplishments over the last 12 months.
In 2008, a little game called "Left 4 Dead" helped me overcome some social anxiety.
There are a few reasons why I rarely play multiplayer games. Primarily, it's because I enjoy the idea of starting a game, finishing it and moving on.
There's another reason, though.
I seem to suffer from a mild form of what the Internet tells me is telephonophobia. It's not a fear of telephones, per se, so much as it is a fear of taking and receiving calls.
Chatting over Xbox Live or something similar is a lot like a phone call, which helps explain why my stomach knots up before I start a multiplayer game.
But my girlfriend and others wanted to play online "Left 4 Dead" and I decided to answer their call. And so I played "Left 4 Dead" and really enjoyed myself. Maybe having my girlfriend sitting next to me reduced my fixation on voice chat anxiety.
I've always wanted to try "Call of Duty 4" multiplayer. Maybe in 2009, I will.