The Two-Player Experience

By Hana Khalyleh - Feb. 26, 2015

Phoenix Gaymers co-chair Shane Blissett said his favorite games are generally from the fighting genre and high action titles like the Call of Duty series, while Brandon Cooper is more of a nostalgia junkie and prefers the classic Super Nintendo games. They both find common ground in the Super Smash Bros. series, which makes for a competitively fun time.

Phoenix Gaymers co-chair Shane Blissett (left) and Brandon Cooper were engaged Jan. 17, 2015. Photo courtesy of the Phoenix Gaymers.

After more than a year of talking on a dating site. Cooper and Blissett started dating when they met in October 2014, It was around then that Cooper started a more active engagement in the Phoenix Gaymers, a meetup group that encourages social interaction within the gay gamer community. Since then, he said, he has been able to find new connections in the gaming community, developing friendships from the Gaymers that he wishes were there when he was growing up.

“I started coming out when I was 17,” Cooper said. “If I had had someone else to relate to, someone who had that common ground in gaming with me growing up, things would have been much easier for me.”

During their first monthly gaming party of the new year, Jan. 17, Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” started blasting on a radio carried by a member and the Gaymers were urged to follow him outside.

Waiting there was Blissett, a few personal friends and six members of the Phoenix Gaymers who then launched into a flash mob-style performance to “Marry You” by Bruno Mars’s. Then Blissett turned to Cooper, got down on one knee and popped the question

“It was an instant ‘yes,’” Cooper said. “It doesn’t feel like I’ve only known him a short time … It feels like I’ve found the right one.”

The couple’s wedding is set for April 13 and there’s sure to be more than a few Phoenix Gaymers in the audience. (Read more about the Phoenix Gaymers in "Multiplayer Action Meets the Real World.")

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SHOREHAM, VT (September 13, 2023) — WhistlePig Whiskey, the leaders in independent craft whiskey, and Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake are waving the checkered flag on a legend-worthy release that’s taking whiskey to G-Force levels. The Limited Edition PiggyBack Legends Series: Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Barrel is a high Rye Whiskey selected by the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake drivers, with barrels trialed in their wind tunnel to ensure a thrilling taste in every sip.

The third iteration in WhistlePig’s Single Barrel PiggyBack Legends Series, the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Barrel is bottled at 96.77 proof, a nod to Valtteri Bottas’ racing number, 77, and the precision of racing. Inspired by Zhou Guanyu, the first Chinese F1 driver, this Rye Whiskey is finished with lychee and oolong tea. Herbal and floral notes of the oolong tea complement the herbaceous notes of WhistlePig’s signature PiggyBack 100% Rye, rounded out with a juicy tropical fruit finish and a touch of spice.

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Open less than two years, Descanso Resort offers gay men a relaxing and luxurious boutique hotel experience just minutes away from Palm Springs' buzziest restaurants, nightclubs, and shopping. Descanso has quickly established itself as a top destination for sophisticated gay travelers, earning hundreds of 5-star guest reviews and consistently ranking in Trapadvisor's top positions alongside brother properties Santiago Resort and Twin Palms Resort.

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