Gabriela Costa

7+ years covering cooperative and social gaming, specialist in multiplayer accessibility and cross-platform play dynamics

Gabriela Costa has been studying how people play together since before online multiplayer was the default mode. She covers co-op games, party games, asymmetrical multiplayer, and the specific magic of couch co-op in an era when most 'social' gaming happens through headsets. Gabriela evaluates multiplayer games not just on netcode and matchmaking but on their ability to create moments that players will recount years later — the clutch revive, the betrayal that was technically within the rules, the perfectly synchronised heist that no plan could have produced. She also tracks accessibility in multiplayer design, particularly how communication tools affect players who are deaf, non-verbal, or playing across language barriers. Her party game tier list is the most contentious document in her friend group.