Wii Sports may be good enough for Grandma to play as advertised, but what’s most amazing about is not it’s ability to ensnare the leisure time of the elderly, but rather how it created an experience that can be enjoyed on an equal level amongst all who play it.
Certainly, this lends itself to some games better than others. It won’t work with any sort of scripted, linear action game, but it’s not much trouble to take a chunk of an RPG or Sandbox world, string together a bare-bones quest line, and set players loose. This allows for demos of the caliber you see with emergent games, where it’s much easier to take a chunk of gameplay and give it away – Civ V’s Demo let you play with a few civilizations on small Minecraft Maps, for instance, while Killer Instinct gives players one free character as a taste. I’m all for anything that allows single-player, structured games to be more competitive, especially when it provides a workable alternative to awful early-access crap.
While there are those who will gravitate towards single player or competitive games, I would personally recommend something with a friendly and helpful community that will help scratch your socializing itch. Of course one of those games is Final Fantasy XIV, an MMO where you can hop on with friends or find completely new players to traverse the vast world with. It’s a daunting task as there’s thousands of hours worth of content that can be dipped into, but that just ensures you’ll never be bored. We’re talking raiding, treasure hunting, PVP, decorating houses or apartments, fishing, mount farming and so much more. Of course there’s the terrific storyline that (especially in Shadowbringers) touches upon strong themes, but it’s the communal aspect that Final Fantasy XIV excels at, making this one of the best games to play whilst social distancing. You can even go onto servers that have an active role-playing community, if that’s your thing. The number of linkshells and discord servers I’ve become a part of over the last year alone has only helped me enjoy the game even more, showing me how much the community has grown. You’ll always run into someone who’s a bit toxic, but it’s such a rare occurrence. With Square Enix pumping out a steady amount of content — with the last major update only a month old — there’s plenty to dig through, be it for new or returning players.
We’ve stumbled into some uncertain times, dear readers. I can’t say I’ve ever experienced anything as intense as the Social Distancing Era. As we watch doctors of all kinds on the news recommend that we stay home as much as possible, we’re faced with new challenges to overcome. Those of us who self-isolate may find this to be a troubling time — especially if it affects our income, work, childcare or health. Yet “social distancing” doesn’t have to mean completely cutting yourselves off from your support network! Path of Exile is a beautifully robust ARPG that will help bridge the gap. It’s like if Developer Grinding Gear Games basically wanted Diablo 2 back, so they created their own Grecian-inspired version. It’s all there: awesome loot, a unique ability-gem loadout system, a massive skill tree that allows you to create inspired builds. It features online co-op so you and your buddies can play through the story together. The best part is that it’s free-to-play, so it’s an ease on both your mind and your wallet during these trying times. Path of Exile can be found on Xbox One, PS4 and PC which means a wide audience will be able to enjoy playing.
The heyday of music gaming may have come and gone, but even if it was ultimately just a fad that we were all caught up in (which I don’t think is the case), it would do absolutely nothing to tarnish the memories of nights spent playing Rock Band with friends, nor can it ruin the fun still to be had in getting the band back together for one more tour.
When there’s a lot of stress or anxiety in the world, it’s nice to take a step back and relax. Animal Crossing is a game that does this well while alone or even better when hanging out with friends. It’s hard to find a title where doing next to nothing can feel rewarding, but in Animal Crossing just running around with friends feels like a fun time. There’s a sense of companionship when sharing items or fruit and rivalry when catching bugs or fish. The core of Animal Crossing’s entire identity is community, sharing interests and differences. New Horizons has players starting from nearly nothing and building their own world along the way. Eventually players can show off their hard work with a fully decorated house or a fantastic visit to the museum. Even just sitting down to take a picture together with silly expressions gives that relief that it’s alright to take a break without thinking too hard now and then. Not even a wasp sting can hurt long when a friend is there to give some medicine or at least laugh over how ridiculous it was.
There’s a vast library of online entertainment for gamers to enjoy and we hope those practicing social distancing take advantage of it. Share some of your gaming suggestions here and please do your best to keep yourself and others safe.
-
Tags:
