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Teamwork

Two players, one plan.

Contra with a mate is a different game. Who takes the top of the screen, who grabs the spread gun, who gets the last life. You learn to call things, share and cover for each other without a word.

Couch co-op was social long before online was. It is still the best way to learn how to be on someone's side.

Train it on purpose

  1. Play co-op and call out one thing every minute: 'I've got left', 'take it'. Talk more than feels natural.
  2. Let the weaker player have the power-up. See what happens to the run.
  3. Play the support role on purpose for a whole session.

Off the couch

Every job is a co-op game. So is a share house, a footy team and a relationship. The person who calls their position, shares the good stuff and does not blame the other player is the one people want next to them. That includes the person you are dating.

Sources

  1. Durkheim, E. (1912). The Elementary Forms of Religious Life.
  2. Goffman, E. (1961). Encounters: Two Studies in the Sociology of Interaction ('Fun in Games').

Games that train it

Balloon Fight coverBalloon Fight
Two players at once, co-operating or getting in each other's way. Bumping your mate into the fish is easy; covering for him is the skill.Battletoads in Battlemaniacs coverBattletoads in Battlemaniacs
Rash and Pimple can go in together, and the game's verdict is to play it with someone patient. Friendly fire makes it a test of who covers whom.Blades of Steel coverBlades of Steel
Passing is crisp and skating's quick, so a goal usually comes from moving the puck between your three forwards rather than one bloke going end to end.Breath of Fire coverBreath of Fire
Eight party members, each with a field skill: Mogu digs, Gobi turns into a fish to carry you, Karn fuses friends into one fighter. You swap reserves in even mid-battle.Bubble Bobble coverBubble Bobble
Alone it's decent. With two, you split the screen, set up kills for each other and argue over the food. The real ending needs a second player.Captain Commando coverCaptain Commando
Four oddball commandos, each with their own dashes, throws and special. On the Super NES it's two players, and that's how it's meant to be played.Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse coverCastlevania III: Dracula's Curse
Switch to Grant to climb past a hard section or to Sypha to torch a boss. Each partner covers a gap in what Trevor can do.Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers coverChip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers
Controller one is Chip, two is Dale, and you both race for the same crate. As a first co-op game for a younger player, it's close to perfect.Contra III: The Alien Wars coverContra III: The Alien Wars
With two players it's chaotic in the best way. Bill and Lance need to split the screen or they both die.Contra coverContra
Two players at once, and when one runs out of lives they can borrow from the other's stock. Still the first cartridge to reach for when a mate picks up the second controller.Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest coverDonkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Diddy is quicker, Dixie floats, and either Kong can pick up and throw the other.Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! coverDonkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
Dixie floats, Kiddy is heavy enough to skip across water and smash floors. Each can throw the other to reach a ledge.Double Dragon II: The Revenge coverDouble Dragon II: The Revenge
Billy and Jimmy fight side by side, and you choose whether they can hit each other. With a friend it's still a fun evening.Dragon Warrior II coverDragon Warrior II
Three heroes, monsters in groups, and an order for each hero every turn. You, the Prince of Cannock and the Princess of Moonbrooke only finish it together.Dragon Warrior IV coverDragon Warrior IV
In the last chapter your companions act on their own, following orders like save magic or heal first. You can't steer them directly, so you set the plan and trust it.Final Fantasy IV coverFinal Fantasy IV
Up to five fight at once, each with a fixed role, from Rosa the white mage to Kain the dragoon, and you set each one in the front or back row.Final Fight 2 coverFinal Fight 2
The second player is back, and a code lets two players pick the same fighter so nobody gives up their favourite.Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem coverFire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem
The Support system gives characters with a story bond, friends or lovers, better accuracy or dodging when they fight near each other.Front Mission coverFront Mission
Between missions the Canyon Crows sit around playing cards. That's why they read as people, not pilots, and why it hurts when the squad splits late on.Goof Troop coverGoof Troop
Neither hero can attack. One of you rings the bell to draw the pirates, the other drops a barrel on them, and you both laugh when it goes wrong.Ice Climber coverIce Climber
Two players climb together, chipping holes for each other while Topis push ice back into the gaps and the polar bear threatens to push the screen up.Jackal coverJackal
With a mate, one jeep clears the way and the other ferries prisoners to the helicopter pad. You both shout when the chopper lands.Kirby Super Star coverKirby Super Star
Turn a copy ability into a Helper and suddenly there are two of you. The good runs come from one player clearing enemies while the other handles the boss.Kirby's Dream Land 3 coverKirby's Dream Land 3
Gooey can be played by a second player and drift beside Kirby without ever holding the game back. It's one of the best SNES games to share with a young child.Life Force coverLife Force
Two players share the screen, one in the Vic Viper and one in the Lord British. You split the work and cover the side the other isn't watching.Little Samson coverLittle Samson
Four heroes, one pool of lives, and levels built so you need all of them. Gamm walks on spikes, K.O. squeezes through gaps, Kikira flies, Samson climbs ceilings.Mega Man X2 coverMega Man X2
The X-Hunters carry the scattered body of Zero, your partner. Gather all three parts and he's a friend in the final stretch; miss them and he's not.Mortal Kombat II coverMortal Kombat II
It suits a couch with two people on it better than a tournament, and knowing the codes is a shared job.NBA Jam coverNBA Jam
Two players a side. With four people it's loud, physical, unfair and very funny, and the team that passes beats the team that hogs.Pocky & Rocky 2 coverPocky & Rocky 2
Player two isn't a second hero here, they're Pocky's friend with unlimited lives, and half the time they're getting thrown at a boss. Making that fun for the person on pad two is the real game.Pocky & Rocky coverPocky & Rocky
Two players help more than they should, partly because sliding into your partner sends them spinning into the goblins. It works when you plan it, and it's chaos when you don't.Pop'n TwinBee coverPop'n TwinBee
Couple mode makes enemies aim mostly at player one, and you can hand health to your partner. It's built for a confident player to carry a newer one.River City Ransom coverRiver City Ransom
Alex and Ryan crossing River City together, with pipes and bins to throw and gangs to split. Co-op makes it better again.Secret of Mana coverSecret of Mana
With a multitap, two mates can drop in and run the girl and the sprite whenever they like. A full RPG side by side, bickering over the next weapon orb.Snake Rattle 'n' Roll coverSnake Rattle 'n' Roll
Two players at once, one snake each, on the same screen, both after the same Nibbley Pibbleys. Louder and better together.Star Fox coverStar Fox
Falco, Peppy and Slippy call for help at scripted moments. Save them and they pick off enemies; ignore them and they're gone for the run.Sunset Riders coverSunset Riders
Four bounty hunters, each with their own gun, working through the gang. Bob's rifle and Cormano's shotgun cover different ground.Super Bomberman 4 coverSuper Bomberman 4
Story mode is better with two, and some bonus warps only open when one player picks the other up with the Power Glove and throws them in.Super C coverSuper C
Bill and Lance go in together, and in the upward-scrolling stages one player racing ahead drags the other off screen.Sweet Home coverSweet Home
Each of the five carries a tool nobody else has, a camera, a lighter, a medical kit, a lockpick or a vacuum cleaner, and each opens a different part of the house.Tales of Phantasia coverTales of Phantasia
The rest of the party follow the orders you set or the spells you pick from a pause menu. Set bad orders and they fight the wrong fight.Tecmo Super Bowl coverTecmo Super Bowl
There's a dedicated return team with defensive backs on it, and you can take control of a player to try to block a punt. Football is eleven jobs, and you do one at a time.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game coverTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game
Some of the Foot grab you and drain your health while the rest pile in. That's when a second Turtle earns his pizza.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project coverTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project
Sharing lives keeps a weaker partner in the game, and friendly fire can be switched off. The stronger player gets to carry the other one home.Tennis coverTennis
Two players means partners, never rivals. Doubles puts you both on the same side against two computer players.The Legend of the Mystical Ninja coverThe Legend of the Mystical Ninja
With two players, one rides piggy-back: the rider attacks and the one underneath runs and jumps, so only one of you has to nail the hard jumps.The Lost Vikings coverThe Lost Vikings
Erik runs and headbutts, Baleog shoots switches, Olaf's shield blocks shots and makes a step. None can finish alone, and all three must reach the exit.TwinBee 3: Poko Poko Daimaō coverTwinBee 3: Poko Poko Daimaō
Fly side by side with a friend for a wide spread of stars, or line up one above the other and a star circles you both.Volleyball coverVolleyball
Six a side, three at the net and three behind, and half the battle is working out which of your six is yours.Zombies Ate My Neighbors coverZombies Ate My Neighbors
With a friend it becomes a running argument about who grabs the baby and who covers the door. Let a monster reach a neighbour first and they're gone for the rest of the game.