After a couple weeks in quarantine, I’m realizing that while the time went by a lot faster having so many shows to binge watch I’ve suddenly run out of patience in finding more new shows. If the trailers didn’t appeal to me or the reviews weren’t great, I found that finding new shows to watch was suddenly annoying. Am I the only one? Hopefully, I’m not. And if you feel the same, trust me when I say that gaming has become something I’ve been getting back into and would hope that maybe it’ll help you pass the time, too. So here are a couple of gaming suggestions to fill the quarantine time whether you’re on your own, with your partner, or with the whole fam.
- Animal Crossing
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If you’ve been on social media at all this quarantine, I’m sure the words “Animal Crossing” have popped up in your feed countless times. And for good reason. Animal Crossing is a game series that has been around since 2001. It’s older than my younger brother. It was first on the Nintendo 64 and from then on branched onto other platforms like the Nintendo DS and even on the Iphone or Android. It’s a great game if you like games that include customizable homes, helping cute animal characters, and the ability to get instant gratification every second of the game. Trust me, it’s great. I’ve owned every version of the game minus the Nintendo 64 version and the Switch version because they’re all sold out. :( (On the phone, I’m killing it though at level 193. Two years of dedication. Friend me!)
- Any RPG
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For new gamers out there, RPG stands for Role Playing Game. Basically, it’s any game with a main storyline that you play through with side quests and character development. There are so many RPG’s that have amazing stories and games today have graphics so good it’s like watching a movie and immersing yourself at the same time. My personal favorites are almost all of the Final Fantasy games (the newer ones without pixled graphics), the God of War series (if you’re okay with some gore but a great story of Greek Gods), Assassin’s Creed (if you want a series that extremely long, puzzling, but has cool action sequences and history, and the Kingdom Hearts series (if you love Disney, cool effects and graphics, and have all of the consoles needed for all fourteen games). This list gives you HOURS of gameplay. Trust me, quarantine will go by so fast after trying just one of the games.
- The Sims
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Even if you’re not a gamer, you have to have heard of The Sims at least once. It’s a life simulation game that exists among tons of consoles including PC, Mac, Playstation, Xbox, and even smartphones. This game allows you to create whatever characters you want and gives you full control of their lives. Whether they’re an alien who becomes mayor of your Sim Town or a couple who “woohoo’s” in lighthouses, the options are endless. And especially for quarantine, the gaming company Origin is doing a huge sale on their computer download for The Sims 4. For only a couple bucks, they’ll give you the whole game to download onto your computer and let the fun begin. And trust me, it’s pretty fun. While we may not have control over our own lives right now, hopefully this game makes you feel like you have a little more control.
- Family Friendly Multiplayer Games
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Recently, my mom went on a whim and bought an old childhood favorite game for our PS3. Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. It’s a mix of Street Fighter and Tetris where you choose a cute, pixel version of a popular Street Fighter character and you match colored blocks together to dominate your opponent. Trust me when I say that downloading this game caused some tension in the family for a hot second. One night we played for over two hours. Fun multiplayer games like this including games like any of the Mario games, Little Big Planet, Tekken, Just Dance, or even the Lego games are fun games that can either bring your family together or cause some gaming death matches and conflict for a little while. I’d say when things get a little tense, just remember, it’s just a game. And that you’re also stuck in the house together, so you have no choice but to get along.
Quarantine is tough and boring sometimes, but if you open your mind to new activites, it’s not so bad. We all want to get through this, but since we don’t know how long this will last, distracting yourself with new things might be the best thing to do. So if you have computer, a gaming console, anything that supports any kind of game, I’d say just look up some top reviewed games, download one, and see how you like it. Maybe you’ll have found yourself a new hobby or guilty pleasure. Hopefully these suggestions provide a little escape for your in these scary times. Wishing you a safe, healthy, and hopefully entertaining quarantine!