I'm glad he reached out.. but I don't know the story about this guy. He's just a friend? He sounds like a boyfriend to me.

I, too, don't think he was playing games. If he was feeling anxious, it's a good strategy to limit contact with others. He did so to help him "relax". Sometimes we don't realize how heavily attached we are to our cells.

How is having his phone on silent a "game." I think most people from time to time do the same thing just to get some peace for a while. Our phones run our lives at times, and sometimes we just need to turn it off (or on silent). That's a pretty healthy adult coping skill actually.

ETA: Is this the same guy who you have been on again off again with because of his poor behavior towards you? Why are trying to get in touch with him IF that is the case? (If it is a different person ignore this edit.)