5 Games that are gateways to a new hobby
Sitting in my grandma’s living room as a little kid, I remember spending time while dinner was being prepared sitting in front of the TV and watching my brother play games on his Nintendo 64. From Pokemon Stadium 2 to The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, I was mystified at how he completed tasks and fought monsters with ease.
A few times I would beg for him to show me how to play, and despite my best efforts, my little hands could not figure out the controls. I grew up watching him, and then YouTubers like Markiplier, PewDiePie, Jacksepticeye, and Ihascupquake playing a variety of games. I slowly began playing more, and now playing video games and watching others play them has become one of my favorite hobbies and mediums to enjoy.
Here is a list of 5 games I recommend for others to get into the activity:
Stardew Valley is a laid back farming simulator that starts with you inheriting a farm and getting to know a plethora of characters who live in your community. The pixel style of the game is reminiscent of early video games, while still having easy to use controls and a semi-open world for the player to explore. You get to grow crops, go fishing, shopping, and even form relationships with the characters in the game. You are also able to play with friends online, and get to live side by side in the game. I highly recommend this game for people who fantasize about escaping to the countryside.
The Life is Strange franchise features in total 4 original games, and the first Life is Strange and the prequel Life is Strange: Before the Storm were recently remastered, featuring enhanced animations. Life is Strange is one of the first choice based games I picked up after watching my favorite YouTubers play through the original release of the first game in 2015. There is also Life is Strange 2 that came out in 2018, and Life is Strange: True Colors came out in fall 2021. An exciting detail about Life is Strange: True Colors is that the main character’s singing voice is done by independent singer-songwriter mxmtoon. She released an EP of the songs in the video game, featuring a cover of Creep by radiohead. This game is well known for its hipster aesthetics, indie soundtracks, and LGBTQ+ representation, as well as including real-world issues in the games. I recommend this game to everyone with a record player, or used to poke the lenses out of 3D glasses to look quirky in middle school.
3. Minecraft
Of all the games on this list, I found Minecraft to be the game that I’ve been coming back to for the longest amount of time. I remember getting ready as fast as I could so I could play minecraft for even 10 minutes before leaving for middle school. I would spend hours mining ores, playing minigames on servers, or playing creative mods (modified versions of the base game) and maps I would find online. Minecraft has been getting regular updates, and keeps finding new ways to keep players. There is also a robust community of YouTubers and Twitch streamers who will play the game together and make unique storylines for their group’s experience. I recommend this game for people who like crystals or remember hearing about the game in their childhood but never picked it up.
4. Overwatch
Overwatch is the first FPS (first-person shooter) game I ever picked up, and remains as one of my favorites to play to decompress from a long day of college classes. The 32 playable characters offer a wide variety of play styles and difficulty. The three broad categories for the characters are tank, damage, and support, and each character is also linked through the game’s extensive lore that informs how the design, weaponry, and play style of the characters, with new characters being added regularly. I will say the community around this game is not as lively as when the first game came out, so I most enjoy the game in quick play and arcade game modes that allow for a casual experience for players to try out different characters and work with others online. There has also been a sequel that was originally announced in November 2019, and has been in an indefinite state of when it will be released. I recommend this game for people who loved having Nerf gun wars with their friends or family, or for girls who wished they got to help when the teacher asked for “strong young men” to help in the classroom.
5. Monster Prom
Monster Prom is a dating simulator that features characters who are all monsters. There are 2 installments of the game and feature over 50 total characters, secret endings, and funny dialogues that are sure to keep players invested in getting a date to Monster Prom. Personally I have had more failures than successes (much like my IRL dating life) but still find it fun to see what situations my character can get into. The game also allows the player to choose their appearance, name, and pronouns and doesn’t place any heteronormativity onto the interactions between characters. Also by playing the game, each outcome unlocks content such as old character designs, background art, and fanart. I recommend this game for all the single people out there who wish they had the courage to ask someone to prom, or for everyone who had monster high dolls as a kid.