Why do video games often make the odd transition from hobby to habit? Why play something if you no longer enjoy it? Here are three games that raise these questions through their writing and mechanics.
GB: "Some games reduce stress while others like to play with your mind."
15 games on FIFTEEN pages? That's a NO from me.
Superliminal
Antichamber
Manifold Garden
Portal & Portal 2
The Stanley Parable
Monument Valley
Gorogoa
Thumper
Inscryption
Q.U.B.E. 2
Darq
Quantum Break
Perspective
Inside
The Swapper
I think Inscryption is the best game on that list. PT and Returnal i would offer. Returnal deserves a spot over some of the listed games. Especially after chapter 3. Maybe even Alice MR? Death Stranding? Kojima all together. To much smaller degree Dead Space. I'm spitballing.
I didn't play Thumper enough to see beyond the visual spectacle. Curious choice.
I'd add FEAR and RE7 (when Ethan starts getting visions, especially in the boat) to that list.
Edit: and Here They Lie
Only makes me think of gatcha loot crate game specifically built to play your mind into becoming an addict.
Return to the world of Little Inferno with an all new scary holiday story, a mysterious new character, a new catalog, new toys, new combos, and lots of new holiday content to keep you warm.
"From winks & nods to straight-up gameplay-altering sequences, video games often break the fourth wall. Read on for some of the best moments." Mike @ Thumb Culture
Call of Duty is one of them. It's not even fun, has no strategy, requires no real skill, is ugly and has crappy unbalanced maps. Yet people keep buying and playing it
I feel like a slave when I find myself staying up late to do pointless stuff with other slaves just to get a silly trophy in hopes of getting a virtual platinum that still equals nothing in real life. I think I'm done trophy hunting.
I always have fun playing games. It's how I relax after my 8hr day at work.
World of Warcraft....glad I left several years ago. It required time to compete. In CoD a person can kill a pro on day one. WoW was such a grind.
While I agree that video games CAN be art, the mass majority of games available is not. I also agree that many games nowaday feel like a chore than a fun hobby. Games used to be a fun thing to do. I would received the same amount of satisfaction from a ten minute play session as I would from a weekend gaming binge.
Some people can play a game for months at a time - that's cool. I'm not like that. I plow through a game and I move on. Sad point is, I'm so back logged (as far back as PS1) that I have to force myself to play a game. I feel like I'm obligated to play a game - like a second job. Which is something that puts me in an odd place - I LOVE video games...but everytime I think about the hundreds of games I need to playthrough, I turn on netflix and let a several seasons of Futurama run as background noise while I curl up in a corner and sob.