Opinion Editor- Soph White
Imagine–it’s 2017, you were born at a young age, and unfortunately, are in middle school with a bunch of small haters. You come upon the glory and awe that is YouTube “Let’s Plays”. You thrive in the fanfiction world of Jacksepticeye and Markiplier (aka Septiplier) and watch Yandere Simulator by creators like Bijuu Mike. Years and years of watching “Let’s Plays,” you yearn for the truth. You yearn to game for yourself, but you are worried that the game will not live up to the hype. But there is nothing you want more than to find out for yourself. The sad truth is that it was me, an AuDHDer, bullied by peers (probably deservingly so), with an increasing fascination with MatPat Game Theory videos on FNAF lore. I yearned deeply for the computer tower, for the monitor, and awaited the day that money would give me the opportunity to build my skills.
Since then, I’ve managed to turn 20 and have had a couple of different jobs that have afforded me the opportunity to buy all the necessities for a gaming computer. I even spent the time learning how to put the computer tower together by myself, and bought all the parts individually to save money. I’ve grown past my Septiplier days, but not entirely all that far either. I continue to indulge in the artistry of Markiplier alongside watching RTGame, AstralSpiff, and NeebsGaming. They are easily some top-tier creators. I’ve watched and still watch them all play various Let’s Play games and since I have had access to a computer where I can download these games, I have explored the world of GAMINGGGGG (imagine there’s an epic echo there).
As a result of my exploration, I wanted to talk about some games from “Let’s Plays” that have not disappointed me since playing them on my own time. Let’s start with a recently released game: R.E.P.O. I’ve mainly watched AstralSpiff play these Co-op Survival Horror Extraction-Looter games, and this one really hits the spot. It manages to pull together several elements of video games that I personally enjoy: avatar expressiveness, a built-in proximity chat, an interactive active and passive environment, and you can flush your friends down a toilet. Based on playing around 30 hours of this game (all during breaks from school), the reactions from Let’s Players are genuine. This game is meant to be fun as well as terrifying. For me, the scariest creature in the game is the Invisible Man. I’ll be in the middle of screaming “DIGGIN IN MY BU—-” and I’ll be dragged away by an invisible figure that is breathing heavily like some sort of pervert.
Papers, Please is a time-tested, life-changing parody of the Soviet experience as a border patrol officer. If you watched Markiplier or Jacksepticeye around 5 or more years ago, you might have enjoyed their poor Russian accents along with dealing with one of the recurring characters in the game, dubbed by Jacksepticeye as ‘Potato Man’. Why that name? No clue. Similar to recent releases of games like That’s Not My Neighbor or any skinwalker-type game, but this one has an element of realism that is different from recent releases. It is in reference to the Cold War and parodies a lot of the issues within the Soviet government at the time. As a person working border patrol with barely any money to feed your family or yourself, you only managed to get this job through an employment lottery, and you run into multiple moral decision-making moments such as questions on ethics around immigration, separating families across borders, refugees, and even have an option if you reach the end to flee your country yourself for your own safety. If you play ruthlessly with your only moral standpoint being loyalty to your country, it means you kill and hurt multiple people throughout the game by not letting someone through, arresting them, or by letting someone in who is dangerous for the economic benefit of the government. You can choose to be on the side of the government or the rebellion, or to do neither and end up dead early into the game. A serious aside comment, I highly recommend this game if you want to see what lies ahead of us going forward.
Stardew Valley—straight up—this is just a classic. There’s a reason that people use Stardew as a way to do online group therapy these days: it is one of the games that meets the right amount of stimulation that each individual might need. You are a farmer who inherited your grandpa’s farm after realizing that corporate life wasn’t for you, and on this farm is a whole village of people who have lived in the valley for quite some time. You can get to know them, become friends, or ask eligible bachelors and bachelorettes on a date. Crazy enough, you can even marry them and have children with them. But it’s not really even a life simulator, because it has so many more elements. Mainly, you want to build up your farm, collect every item you can possibly get in the game to save the town from the Joja corporation, and hang out with your cows. Although I have many friends who play the game like rampant capitalists. If you watch RTGame, you’ll see him pretend he is Walter White from Breaking Bad and use all the space to maximize his business with one single fruit all over his farm. Ultimately, you can play this game however you’d like and play it differently each time, which is part of its major appeal.
Schedule I – Yes, this one is about being a drug producer and dealer, BUT it is arguably one of the most involved games with mini game mechanics for almost every task. It makes making (hypothetical) drugs fun, which probably isn’t good, but it is like GTA 5 for a Nintendo player—meaning you are a wholesome individual who is interested in the mechanics of small tasks to tailor it to what you enjoy. You’re not looking to actually (hypothetically) be a drug dealer or go to a strip club, but you seek satisfaction and not many games are as satisfying as Schedule I. When almost every mechanic is fun, that’s when you know you’ve made a good game. Riding around town on a skateboard is fun, spending money customizing your character by getting tattoos is fun, (hypothetically )snipping buds off of Mary Jane plants is enjoyable, and makes a satisfying ASMR-like snip sound. There is something so mindless about packaging (hypothetical) drugs, and it makes me want to keep myself from automating my (hypothetical) drug empire. You can play this game like a wholesome, satisfaction-seeking individual or a capitalist. In that way, it’s pretty similar to Stardew Valley.
Peak – By far one of my favorites, in terms of recently released games. There have been bugs at times with its performance, but it’s part of what makes the game fun. I’ve tried this game solo, in duo, and with a full four lobby of people. The design feature for your avatar is genuinely fun, along with the emotes that can lead to funny, awkward moments between you and your friends. One of my friends and I pretend we are crabs with the shrug emoticon and many inappropriate things I can’t mention here. Besides the fun interactions you have in the lobby, it is excellent as a collaborative game and solo. One thing many games aren’t good at is applying solid gameplay mechanics for both a person playing solo and a group. It’s usually one or the other. In this case, the developers have managed to do both successfully.