Non-Gamers: Here’s What to Play This Summer

Whenever people (often women, but not always) find out I play and study video games, they usually respond with the same refrain: “ugh, I just don’t have time to game.” It’s a good point; gaming does take up a lot of my time. I spend many late nights playing games. Sometimes I get up early to play before all the teenagers wake up and get online. Sometimes I don’t even want to play, but I know I need to grind out that next level or item to reach the next cool thing. I totally get that you non-gamers may not think you have time to game, but I would like to make a plea to you all: you do have time to game, and you should. It may seem easier to plop in front of the TV, open the ol’ iPad, scan Facebook, and zone out from 8pm-10pm. You’ve been fully engaged all day, and you need to check out. But gaming can be so much more rewarding and fulfilling than watching TV in your downtime. Maybe you are a non-gamer but want to try something fun over the summer, or maybe you need some games to distract your significant other so you can play your games on the TV. Regardless of the reasons, here are my gaming recommendations for the non-gamer this summer.

 

If you like to build, organize, and collect:

Stardew Valley; PC; 14.99 on Steam*

One of the most popular games this summer has been a game called Stardew Valley. This game was made by a single person studio, and can be played on the computer and soon on most game consoles. In the game, you take a job on your grandfather’s (who just passed away) farm. You spend energy to fix up the place, plant and harvest crops, fish, mine, and so on.

Pluses:

• Pixelated style is endearing and nostalgic
• Allows for gender and sexuality fluidity
• Large enough to allow for many different playstyles

Minuses:

• Time consuming; this is not a game you can play 15 minutes at a time

Like this? Also try…

• Tribez, on the iPad
• Virtual City, on the iPad

 

If you only have short bursts to play in:

Plants V. Zombies 2, PC and iPad, Free

This is one of the most objectively fun games I have played in a long time. The idea behind this game is that you are in a zombie apocalypse, and plants are zombies’ only natural enemy. You are trying to keep the zombies from getting into your safe house by strategically planting plants to repel the zombies. The base plant, the Pea Shooter, shoots peas at the zombies. The Sun plant gives you the currency you need to plant more plants, and so on. The boards get increasingly difficult as new zombies are introduced. Each board can last anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes, so it’s a great iPad game to play in short bursts.

Pluses:

• It’s free!
• It can be played is short bursts
• The animation style is fun for adults and kids

Minuses:

• It can get repetitive

If you don’t like the “Tower Defense” style, this game has nothing to offer

Like this? Also try…

• Kingdom Rush, on the iPad
• Faster Than Light, on the iPad

 

If you want to annihilate other people:

Hearthstone; PC and iPad; Free

Hearthstone is a deck-building game, which means that you collect cards and create powerful decks to beat your opponent. Your cards consist of spells and minions that you play on a battlefield. You and your opponent each start with 30 health, and you take turns summoning minions and attacking each other with them.

Pluses:

• It can be free
• You can play with your friends
• Games are fairly short, so you don’t need a huge time commitment to play
• If you are short on patience, you can purchase cards to improve your decks

Minuses:

• Hearthstone has a large community of people who play competitively, which means you need to read forums and watch Twitch in order to make cutting-edge competitive decks; however, if you just want to play casually, you don’t need to do this

Like this? Also try…

• Vainglory, on the iPad
• XCOM: Enemy Unkown, on the iPad

 

If you want games that have larger meaning:

Papers, Please; PC ($10) and iPad ($8)

Papers, Please is a dark, atmospheric game where you play an immigration inspector at a border checkpoint in 1982. You are looking at documents to decide if the person crossing is a criminal, terrorist, smuggler, or other “undesirable.” You can interrogate the person and do things like body scans. You earn money from correctly processing people and from taking bribes, but be careful, new rules are added as terrorist attacks occur. This game is a 1984-esque play that will keep you engaged for hours.

Pluses:

• Compelling storyline
• Noir-esque visuals back up the creepy setting

Minuses:

• Dark subject material that is fairly heavy-handed

Like this? Also try…

• Bastion, on the iPad

 

If you want a big, compelling storyline:

Life is Strange; PC, Mac, and Console; $5+

LiS is probably the most compelling story told through a game in recent years. It’s an episodic game, meaning that you will have to purchase each episode to play through. In the game you play Max Caufield, who is at a special photography high school in Oregon. When the game opens, Max (and you) discover that she has the ability to rewind time. This is important, because shit is about to hit the fan in Arcadia Bay. This game has everything from complicated relationships, drugs, murder, psychosis, and the apocalypse.

Pluses:

• Interactive fiction style, great for gamers who want a story without any button mashing
• Good voice acting and beautiful visuals
• Compelling story backed up by solid mechanics
• Choices do impact the storyline

Minuses;

• Because it’s more of an interactive fiction with intermittent scenes of player action, the game may be slow for players who want to participate in the action more than choosing option A, B, or C

Like this? Also try…

• The Walking Dead, on the iPad
• Around the World in 80 Days, on the iPad

 

If you are a puzzle maniac:

The Room Three; iPad; $5

This is the perfect can for a puzzle freak. It is not just a maddenly difficult puzzle game, but it has some very compelling ambiance. It has the feeling of the game Myst. You are exploring rooms that have an object in the middle that you are trying to unlock. It seems simple, but trust me, it isn’t.

Pluses:

• This is a very well rounded game
• It does not hold your hand through puzzles, making it a rare truly challenging game

Minuses:

• Incredibly difficult

Like this? Also try…

• Hitman GO, on the iPad
• Monument Valley, on the iPad

I hope this was a helpful list! Feel free to add your own games and categories below.