Although I have an Xbox Live Gold account, I'm not much an online gamer. I prefer the camaraderie of friends, not strangers, and I prefer to interact with them in person as we share space on the couch. And since I'm more an old-school gamer, and few of my friends are any kind of gamer, the competitions we have are more likely to be in Tetris, Mario Kart, and Worms than they are Halo or Madden. But games that are easy to learn can still take a lifetime to master, and my lifetime of gaming gives me an unbeatable edge over my now former friends. It's tough to find someone I know who can also present me with a challenge, creating the tense and exciting gameplay experience I yearn for.

Finally, I think I've found my equal:

Sadly, whoever wins, I lose.