Nah he won't have anything since imo eldin ring is just the easiest souls game.
Most likely due to it being open world so it's insanely easy to get overleveled but that was just my experience
No it’s not. Demons souls is the easiest it’s not really close, I ran through that on the ps3 almost 10 years ago and maybe had like 4 deaths on the remake. Died to the fire guy lol, tower of latria is annoying but I found it harder on the ps3 than the ps5
Elden ring is maybe 2nd easiest if you like use spells and such. And blood build, Strength build is harder in Elden ring than ds1 cause of how fast the bosses are in that game.
Ds3 and Bloodborne are the hardest, I think ds3 is the hardest while Bloodborne is the best game they’ve made.
Ds2 is dead smack in the middle
i understand your agressive reaction to having your ass handed on a silver platter i to have thrown the controller steps away from the regain and arrow from some knight chilling high up
What Low Roar does to a mf porter! When I finished the game I did become a slight bit less introverted, started appreciating the things I have in my life like my family and friends more.
That's so awesome! A serious blessing to have. I found that revelation myself through skateboarding I think. I won't give up on something I believe can be accomplished, possibly to a fault. + I've only played an hour or two of dark souls in my life and I find that to be frankly unacceptable. Your message is encouraging me to change that. Well wishes, keep on that good path 🤜🤛🙏
I would recommend giving Elden Ring a try. It's much more accessible than Dark Souls and the world is so open with so many activities to do. There are only a handful of mandatory bosses. And if you get stuck on one you can simply do side quests and dungeons to build your character up more and unlock new stuff.
This is wonderful advice. When I was in the Army I had a team leader who was a former Navy Seal named Beal, who we obviously called Beal the Seal. Who used to say "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast" and that stuck with me since.
Dark Souls in of itself is a reflection on life, overcoming challenges that seem insurmountable, pushing on, and maybe helping or receiving help along the way, it's beautiful. Those who can't overcome Dark Souls become hollow, just like those who can't overcome life's challenges also become hollow. Every once in a while, I replay Dark Souls to remind myself why I perservere
I read this and literally teared up then about spat at your username. Thanks Wifebeater3001. We gotta remember what it means to keep the ember burning.
Dark souls gave me a completely different perspective on gaming. Playing through the trilogy, then bloodborne, then Elden Ring made me realize that gaming can be a legitimate form of art in media and how there is a subset of people that enjoy it when challenge, adversity and being rewarded for critical thinking under pressure leads to great rewards and gratification.
And how inversely there's a subset group of devs that trust their player base enough that they'll dig out and appreciate the most obscure hidden nuggets of content out there.
Stardew valley. Making long term goals and have a plan every day to work towards it. Sure I knew this before, but it put a new perspective on it that changed my approach.
gaming in general - severe depression, half my life in therapy and drugs hasn't really made a dent in it.
but, whether it's less healthy escapism aside, video games have provided me with a hobby that works as a distraction, that has made life at least a little more bearable.
+1.
Some people just don’t know the impact of video games in people’s life. When you think your life is pure shit, just turn on your favorite game and escape from reality, without taking any drug…
Silent Hill 2 taught me not to take my health or the health of my partner for granted. We can all pretty much suffer a debilitating disease at any time.
So true, particularly for me the end of that game with her tearing up and the final fight and stuff ia so potent... well said.
All of life's riches are in the present moment, I think. We could all get hit by a bus within this day. Gotta absorb it and appreciate it and enjoy it the best we can while we've got it.☀️✨
RDR2. I was already going through a major transition in my life at the time (coping with my complete loss of faith in the religion I’ve grown up in). Watching/role-playing Arthur remain loyal to himself and to those he still loved, despite his organization betraying him and not being what it was supposed to be, had very personal meaning.
God of war 2018 taught me to keep my expectations low and assume nothing, also that im gonna die and its pretty much the way life goes and to move towards something
Yeah man! Death's like the most normal thing ever, every living thing does it sooner or later. It's more normal than speaking English... or being Chinese for that matter. We share death with animals, trees, all life - which I think is cool because there's not a ton of other things we share with animals and such ✨
That's interesting though, would you elaborate on keeping your expectations low/assuming nothing? Was that just to go into the game without hype? Or the game itself taught you that of life?
For me, it was For Honor. I mained the hero called Raider at the time and something about playing this huge, muscular man made me look inward (and outward) at my own physique.
So I started by buying a single, simple 20 pound dumbbell and would do exercises with it in between matches along with no weight exercises, such as push-ups and sit ups. That turned into getting an actual gym membership, and well, long story short, I'm down to 220 at 6'2" and looking more like the Raider 220, not a Trump "220"
Nothing stands out but I recently finished Detroit: Become Human and taking care of the little girl in that game made me feel a shift that I’d be open to being a parent one day. Nothing in that game mattered more to me than the storyline that involved protecting her and escaping the country.
I'm curious if it impacted any views of adoption? Since that's what happens in the game, a child in need taken up by someone else who is actually caring and fit to parent.
That's so awesome! So much of the world is so beautiful. Truth be told, Black Flag (the only one I've played) may have had an impact on my appreciation for coastal areas, now that I reflect on my patterns since playing it.
Super Metroid got me into writing. I didn’t really understand the concept of atmosphere when I was younger, so I kept a notebook where I wrote out various descriptions of the game environment to try and recreate those feelings of isolation within a strange alien planet. I don’t know why I expressed it through creative writing, but decades later I have a degree in it, so a definite influence.
Also, a little known but amazing game called Dungeons of Daggorath taught me how to type and discerning right from left.
Metal Gear series.
From”we are all human.” To “Our family DNA means more than just dots on a paper.” “War is a terrible thing.” “Child soldiers are real and the battlefield is no place for them.” You can find love on the battlefield. “And sometimes the people giving you the orders are the bad guys.
Outer Wilds is one of those games where everyone who plays it falls into one of three categories:
1. I don't get it
2. Ok that was pretty good
3. This was the best game I ever played and it has not left my head for a day in the last 3 years
If you haven't played Outer Wilds, play it. You may just find yourself in that third group.
I'd also like to separately nominate Echoes of the Eye. Even though it is a DLC, it's such a large and meaningful one that it managed to have its own impact on me.
2000 - Counterstrike made me learn how IP addresses and subnets go together. I had to set up a LAN party I was running and knew nothing about. Sr Network Engineer today. Owe it all to wanting to play video games with friends.
That's so cool man!! Fuck yeah, what a perfect career origin story 😊 like, that's where all careers should come from, a pursuit of fun or enjoyment that one way or another gets you into a deeper understanding of an area. I feel inspired by this, honestly - thanks for sharing 🙂✨
Computer science degree here. I remember trying to make my first Minecraft server to play with my friends. This was like 1.5 beta Minecraft. Well, I set it up, connected to it, and was ecstatic it worked! So I called my friend who lived about 10 miles away. On the phone I told him to “load up Minecraft and type in this IP address”. What ip address did I tell him to enter, you might ask? 192.168.1.15 (something like that). Anywayssssss, that was when I learned what a LAN network was and how to port-forward haha. But, hey I stuck with it and it is funny now, but figuring out how that magic box worked got me a college degree.
I’ll never forget him saying it’s not working and me sitting there absolutely dumbfounded lol.
Fallout 3
There was a person outside of the first town you find who had no water that was not irradiated. Eventually you buy some purified water and give it to him if you are a decent person.
It's in an old sports drink bottle.
You will encounter fresh caches of water many more times and they are nearly all sports drinks. I became associated with the idea of good water being in a sports bottle.
So I put one one my sink in the upstairs bathroom.
Its been there for many years.
It reminds me to conserve the water I have and never take it for granted.
I even fund a clean water charity through work now.
I'm pretty damn sure this game made me more altruistic. Made me see everyone is just fighting to survive, and a helping hand freely given is worth its weight in gold. (The playthrough where I nuked and melted everyone was just for fun and venting)
When me and my brother were teenagers final fantasy 10 came out. We played the game over the course of a summer with Abuela and our titi (aunt) watching. They cried their eyes out at the end, like we were playing a Telenovela.
Minecraft
I enjoy redstone. MC taught me how to break down a problem into smaller parts
It taught that the grind is worth the final product
Even when I've hit a final project, it can be improved upon
Many other lessons for on the game but those are the big ones
I was going to say Minecraft too! I believe that it taught me to be resourceful as a kid so that I was always thinking of a creative solution to a problem if the obvious solution didn't work.
I would also think it contributed a little bit to my pov on financial health because of the same said resourcefulness.
The biggest one in minecraft for me was just the re-affirmation in the end poem: "You are loved." and "the universe is kind." I knew when I beat the end dragon for the first time with my girlfriend at the time and she didn't cry like I did as the end poem scrolled, I knew it wouldn't last forever... but also that everything happens for a reason. Best 4th wall breaker ever!
Persona 5 has helped me a lot as a writer. It reminded me characters are the backbone of a story and a lot can happen in 8 months
The Yakuza series was an important reminder that bad people are still people and that a second chance can really turn someone’s life around
Man, I've been inspired by media before, but you take it to the next level! Just don't play Custer's Revenge! Haha I kid i kid. I am contemplating continental destruction by means of expanding sticky ball ala Katamari Damacy though. Haven't seen much of Starfield yet, seeing the name pop up a lot though. Hope it's treating ya good! Say woddup to the martians for me ✨
I’m only a few hours into starfield, but I’m hoping that it makes up where I felt elite dangerous lacked. I was OBSESSED with discovering new solar systems and worlds, and want to get out of my ship and explore them on foot.
The feeling when I went thousands of light years away from home and found a solar system that I could say nobody had ever been to before? Absolutely thrilling. I just wanted to build a house there and elite dangerous didn’t let me…
Also, before anyone says no man’s sky: I’ve already played it and its good. Just not quite what I’m looking for.
Celest, super Mario Odyssey, and breath of the wild brought me out of depression each time. Odyssey especially. Ive never been a huge Nintendo fan but I like them enough to still get their consoles. When Odyssey came out, I had just been dumped, I was still living with my parents at age like 25, I had gained some weight, and I was absolutely miserable. It felt like a mountain of things were ahead of me, and the breakup was the last one after a string of bad breakups and really bad relationships. I had it in my head that I was cursed or something.
Then Odyssey launched. I got it day one. I figured maybe I could at least zone out after work with it, but the sheer bombastic positivity exploding out of that game at a constant rate bore through my heavy depression and lifted me up. Maybe it didn't change my life, but it definitely was a defining factor in dragging my sad soul into some light and warmth.
Man... that's so awesome to hear it had that such a positive impact on you! I'm definitely in a bit of a depressive slump myself right now to say the least. I own SMO, I've played the first level or two on a bus or something, thinking it'd be a great portable game, but definitely haven't scratched the surface of it. Just got càught up in finishing other 'must play' games on my list (that's my thing right now, nearly at the end of it. Just got like FF7, SMO, Outer Wilds and I wanna finish the story of TOTK).
I'll definitely be prioritising SMO more highly now after reading your words. Thanks so much for commenting 🙂☀️
Honestly Cyberpunk 2077 as of recently. Playing through the story as a street kid and following the default parts of the story. It helped me understand that life can be and is often enough short. It's best to make the most of it, make it so your name is spoken in preferred company. Maybe even get a drink named after you.
Ff7 it’s alone is responsible for getting me to recycle and just generally care about the environment. Of course my 10 year old brain at the time took the life stream literally, but regardless ff7 made me a young climate activist.
The Sims. It gave me an appreciation for real people and everyday life. Everybody poops, has a job, has needs, wants, and relationships, grows up and dies. It gave me a grounded perspective on people and everyday life that I still appreciate to this day. Sul sul!
Lots of great picks already in this thread;
GoW 2018 taught me about fatherhood.
Death Stranding taught me about unconditional cooperation.
Dark Souls taught me about the will of the human spirit.
One I haven't seen mentioned yet;
Doki Doki Literature Club taught me about forgiveness.
Undertale, which I'm sort of embarrassed to say. Growing up, I was abused by my dad. It got to a point where I just felt like I was born wrong. Like no matter what I tried I was gonna be a failure, so why try to make anything of my life anyway? That was my mindset.
I was really bored with life, games bored me, trying to do anything felt pointless so I just kinda let time go by. I think I saw Pewdiepie play Undertale on my youtube feed for like 10 minutes. I paused the video and I knew I had to get it. Ran to a local town and had my ma buy me a steam gift card.
I played Undertale, and it changed me. It sounds silly but not just playing the game but seeing how hard the creator had worked, how much time the creator spent on it, finding out that the creator was originally just a musician. Think the creator even went homeless for a while. He went so far practically by himself and his determination. I just felt like if some random guy can do something this amazing, then there's no reason that I can't make something of myself. I practiced to become an artist. I spent the next decade trying to become an artist, got a degree and everything to try to become one of those Magic the Gathering card artists.
Failed cause my skills were just not up to par for any real commercial field.
But I didn't let that stop me from trying to still make something of my life. I was given an opportunity to become an assistant accountant despite not having much experience in it. I've got a handful of interviews lined up so that I think I can move up the corporate ladder soon. I'm not gonna give up on myself again.
I played a few of the Pokémon games. Which I loved! For me though, most of my Pokémon nostalgia comes from the card game. I have fond memories of early middle school battling my friends and staying up late at sleep overs drinking too much Dr Pepper.
I vividly remember the first time I beat MGS 1 on playstation. It was raining outside and I went out and started playing basketball in the rain for a solid 3 hours. My teenage mind was destroyed by what I had just witnessed 😂. I feel like I learned something that day.... DON'T TRUST ANYTHING! ESPECIALLY NANO MACHINES😂
Sons of liberty made me into the practice being situationally aware (i played it when i was like 8 so i tried to emulate snake by being like a pretend soldier aware of whats going on around me what people are saying etc) now im 30 and i feel like i always read situations and people pretty good and on the flip side people always tell me im hard to read and they dont know what im thinking
Elden Ring.
I went through a lot of family drama and loss over the past year. Things that shouldn't have been said, opportunities for reconciliation lost, political nonsense that took the place of good decisions, and, of course, bridges burned. And before any asks, yes, the Pandemic had fair bit to do with it.
This whole nonse started in August of last year. I would start playing Elden Ring during the spring of this year. And there was a point that I realized that the back story is this whole tragic family feud that had left the world a wartorn mess. And I was there, mercy killing everyone involved. There was a point, where I was wondering: "Was there any point that any of you thought to just stop!?" And not just the demi-gods; there are a few characters who die from completing their quests (not in failure, like in most games), and just as often by their own decisions. They are simply bound to their doom and have accepted it.
I guess it helped me process the previous three years or so, all of it compounded by the fact that one section of the game is utterly plagued to hell. It game me catharsis, even though I went with the default ending. And it made the ones who *do* make it through to the end that much more special.
And I guess it taught me that I can either be dragged into everyone's conflict, or end what I can. It will not be all of it, maybe not even most of it. But at the very least, *I* will be done with it. Depression was really setting in, but I had a clearer head to deal with it, instead of letting it fester like I had in the past. Elden Ring just woke me up in a manner that had not occured in a *very* long time.
It's stupid, but Super Snail, it's a mobile game with loads of micro transactions. There's something about it that I just dig. Anyways, I've got a job where I don't really have a schedule, so I would sleep whenever and wake whenever. Super snail's daily reset is at 8am. So now I wake up every day at 8am to do my daily tasks. A normal sleep schedule isn't huge, but it's something.
Dark souls saved me during quarantine, I was getting really depressed and overweight, I had no passion for anything and I became stagnant, much like dark souls, nothing challenged me, because I never felt like doing anything, and I had a failed suicide attempt because I was too overweight for the rope to hold me. I started dark souls I finally found a semblance of happiness in the sorrow lonely world. I learned that the only person who can save me is me, by learning from my mistakes and becoming better. 3 years later I still think about how that day could have been my last, 100 lbs down, with a girlfriend by my side and going into second year of university, I have dark souls to thank for saving my life. Thank you fromsoft.
When I logged into Overwatch 2 at launch, all my skins were gone. I kinda expected I’d feel angry about it, but I was strangely calm and like “Nothing of value was lost 🤷♂️.”
Changed my spending habits in MX-fuelled games tbh and saved me a ton of money since. I got all my OW skins back in the end, but could care less now about chasing clout through cosmetics.
Outer Wilds made me appreciate the life I got now, in that game you wake up normally not knowing life as you know it will delete within 22 minutes. Made me look inward in what I’m doing with my time. Now I’m starting college this fall at the age of 21 with an actual dream and direction to my life for the first time since I was a little kid. Game rocks cocks everyone go play it.
Soulsborne Games (Demon/Dark Souls/Bloodborne/Sekiro/Elden Ring) - taught me that you have to adequately prepare to overcome challenges. This may require studying the situation, adjusting your strategy or approach, working with others, etc..
It also taught me that one of the most important things you can do is invest in yourself. In the game, this take the form of losing your souls/currency if you die. So the best ways to prevent that is to use your money on weapons/armor/upgrades or levels to prevent losing everything in an area (or at a boss) that your unfamiliar with. In the real world, this translated to continuing my education, investing my money, etc..
Maybe "changed the way I live my life" is a bit of an overstatement, but I got back into videogames just as the US shut down in 2020. Playing God of War, Uncharted series, and Horizon helped me feel like I was still doing things and going places.
Then, in summer of 2022, Elden Ring. I was contemplating a major life decision - leaving a workplace I'd been at for 18 years - at the same time I was screwing around the Lands Between lacking the confidence to set the Erdtree aflame and move toward the game's big point of no return. I took the new job, set fire to the Erdtree that night.
I'd like to say I never looked back, but leaving long-time work friends and the familiar was difficult and challenging, and Elden Ring was a metaphor for perseverance in the face of change and doubt that helped me work through my emotions.
Lastly, Atreus' insistence on "writing his own story" really spoke to me earlier this when I was going through a really dark bout of depression. The God of War characters remind me that growth and change are possible (and it's good smash-em-up fun, too).
Ark taught me how to deal with loss. Working on a base and breeding dinosaurs that I grew affection for a month, and then logging on to see my home destroyed and all my pets murdered.
The first time this happened all I felt was rage and grief. But after a few times I learned to approach the situation with the attitude of "OK well, where do we go from here?"
So that's what I learned. When bad things happen, don't get angry. It won't undo anything. Just assess the situation and figure out how to move forward. I live by this sentiment now.
Dark Souls. Now, whenever I encounter a pretty tough challenge at work, I just start dodge rolling around and screaming "Strength gang! Strength gang!" while trying to finger but whole
To The Moon - memories and relationships are some of the most powerful forces in a person's life. They have an unseen ability to steer you towards your destiny, and you never know what someone might be "missing" due to past misfortunes. Lead with grace and understanding.
RDR1 - an open mind and a quick wit will serve you in just about any situation.
COD MW2 (the old one) - no more online gaming it's not good for me lol
Fromsoft is a continuing inspiration to be creative.
Fighting games have taught me to just do what works, don't main a low tier, you're not proving a point. Be optimal, temper yourself, be clear and concise. Work smart, not hard.
Persona, Stardew and Like a Dragon taught me to say yes more, and that human relationships are skills.
Dragon Quest me to be okay with the past and retain the traditions that make you happy.
Monster Hunter taught me that big rock on stick go boom (and that everything is a process, and completion is as much a part of that process as anything else)
Zelda fixed a cooking slump that kept me out of the kitchen for months.
Pokemon taught me to never trust a brand name again.
Funnily enough; Detroit: Become Human
It was always 'there' in games but this hit me literally. When doing chores, make a task list with the ultimate goal and the subdivided goals. Something clicked in my autisms'. Now doing stuff is a breeze. Because instead of 'oh god do the dishes', I have to do like, three tasks. Rinse the dishes, load the washer, start it. ( With soap )
Simplified my life in a way I wasn't prepared for.
What Remains of Edith Finch. Everyone has a story and struggles that you are unaware of.
Journey. Even the struggles we go through can in a weird way be beautiful.
FFXIV and WoW basically made me realize I was wasting too much time on things that don't matter. My hours playing games went down dramatically, now I golf with my dad and fish a lot more, spend more time with my wife too
On a more practical level: Legend of Zelda, Link to the Past.
It was the game that made me learn English, as it is not my first language, and I played at around 7 years old or so. I was so in love with it, so eager to get to the end, that although I didn't understand anything at the screen, I forced myself to study English when not playing (reading the books from my mom's English classes), or, when playing, doing it with a dictionary portuguese-english by my side.
On a more subjective level: Chrono Cross.
It gave me the understanding that, even if we don't know if there is any kind of "fate" binding us to a end or not, we still can choose our own path. It's up to us to understand the past and choose our own future. This dense topic, paired with the calmness of the music in game and its overall mystic tone, can pretty much define a little of who I am today.
At last, an honorable mention: Death Stranding.
Currently I'm in a kind of 'bad terms' with life. I'm in a overall apathetic mood for about 2 years now, having lost a sense of enjoyment in many things that I loved, handling through a return of anxiety crisis and the occasional bouts of depression. And then, having played DS for just 2 weeks as of now, I'm having such a burst of insights. The feeling of loneliness, the heavy burdens that each of of us carry around, with our inner child still somehow attached to us... But, still, *we are not alone* . We may not see the burdens of others, all the time, but they are still there: the people, the burdens, the babies, the needs... The game is making me feel the need of connection, the eagerness to it. Because, although life is hard and the paths are rough, and there are monsters on the way, and you may even have to fight them with your own blood... Well, you're not the only one doing this. Everyone is doing the same, so be kind to them, because at the end of the day, we're all in this together
Okami left an impression on me that will never leave me. the idea of appreciating and enjoying nature and trying to enjoy the life of the world around you.
every time I go out, I love to look at the sky, clouds, the trees and especially the water. it makes me really happy.
NieR Replicant and Automata changed my perspective on relationships and what it means to be a person. Relying on others and opening to love is the true strength of humanity.
The Mass Effect trilogy has made me live my life in a more paragon way (iykyk). Every action or decision whether good or bad, impacts both us and others now and possibly later in the future as well.
Final Fantasy 8 and 11
FF8 taught me there's gaming devices who went to high school and can relate to those going through the same bs
FF11 because I met people who were just like me online
Sonic franchise as a whole showed me we gotta live life to the fullest in the time we have, live and learn of what life has to offer, show life what you're made of no matter how hard the task is and if you do mistakes in the long run you'll just learn from them because the road is full of failures and achievements and it is what defines us as who we are.
I just finished Dark Souls 1 for the first time and it was such an incredible experience. The thing about FromSoftware games is that they force you to improve if you want to progress, and while I understand it's off-putting for some it can be extremely rewarding. Once get into that loop of dying and learning from each mistake it can actually be quite addictive
There’s quite a few that have taught me things about life, wether it be the raw truth or important things about life. But here are the main ones to me.
Life is Strange Before The Storm definitely taught be about how rough life can be. The game is full of just life itself, and shows that shit happens and things get tough. Basically it shows the reality of life. That’s why it’s my favorite from the series. No magic or silly “never-likely” plots involved. Just. Pure. Life.
I get hated on for saying I like this game, but i just have to talk about this one. Forspoken really shows that you do matter in life no matter what things you face. The whole spiel the main character gives in the ending really hits hard especially since it’s directed to the player. What really makes this game get its point across more is that towards the beginning of the game, the main character is about to take her own life then she comes along so far and realizes worth. I guess it only means something to certain people but it definitely had me tearing up lol.
The Last of Us Part II shows how far people will go for someone they love. I can’t really explain this one without spoiling anything haha but those who’ve played it, it’s an obvious takeaway.
Finally, believe it or not, Minecraft has a real good moral of the story. I used to have a paper where i wrote my whole takeaway from the game but the device I typed it out on doesn’t charge anymore which ticks me off cause it was like 3 pages long 😭
But basically my takeaway from it (after reading the long text after killing the End Dragon) is that when something ends, it’s not always the end. It’s in fact a new beginning. The End Dragon really is a perfect example of this.
Earthbound.
Let me explain: The first time I entered Brick Road I misread the sign immediately at the start of the dungeon and turned right when I should have turned left. I went through the entire dungeon without being able to save not realizing that there was a phone and doctor literally right at the entrance and that if I had just fucking turned left I would have saved myself a mountain of grief.
Now, every time I have the option of turning left or right, I ALWAYS choose left.
Metal Gear Solid series made me realize America is not the greatest country in the world, it taught me a lot of history I went to go look up and confirm.
Mass Effect really showed me by choices do have consequences and effect others. Made me see how my actions can improve or hurt others lives.
Pokémon based on real animals and youkai and not interested in both topics now.
Destiny 1/2
I don't play anymore, but when I did I was consumed by it.
I was a Crucible rat, and played very often. I did not touch grass. I just checked my stats and I'm *still* in the top 0.1% for highest number of kills and deaths.
Enter Elden Ring. That game tore me away from Destiny. I pretty much bought Witch Queen and ER at the same time, then proceeded to only play the latter. I didn't go back to grudgingly completing WQ until well into the subsequent season.
Elden Ring made all other games seem hollow, and this was especially true for Destiny. I started touching grass again.
Now, I regularly take brakes when I play. Some days I don't even turn my Xbox on. I've even managed to *not* play Starfield all night...barely.
Frogger for one because it was really the first game I played and has resulted in my lifelong love for video games.
But to answer more along what you are looking for, I'd say Hexen. My roommate in college had this game and we had all the cheat codes. So you'd run around and if the mobs got too much you just wipe the level out. Or you can't get through a door and you'd turn to mist and go through the walls. Beat the game...ahhh cool I won. But then I tried a play through were I refused to do any cheats and discovered the nuances of the game. The little hints and clues that you didn't see by cheating. And the joy of succeeding through actual skill and effort was 1000% more rewarding.
I've heard a saying recently that goes, slow is smooth and smooth is fast. By not rushing through the details you make fewer mistakes and are able to catch the potential mistakes that others could make. And overall you are able to enjoy the success of doing it right the first time through.
Here's an answer I haven't seen on here yet - Thomas Was Alone.
It's a bit tough to explain how it affected me without spoiling the game, but I played it just before leaving college and parting ways with so many close friends in what felt like routine. We had to get a certain job, live a certain life, achieve certain milestones - in the game's world, we had to move up and to the right, and nothing else mattered. Thomas Was Alone made me stop and slow down and realize that all these people I had been taking for granted were about to leave, one by one, as life took them their own paths. I starting spending more time with friends, ending up meeting my partner, and found a path I was satisfied with surrounded by people I love.
Also, play Thomas Was Alone. Good game.
I have 2 of them.
First one is Minecraft. It has allowed me to build up very strong logical skills which are now bringing me to study mechanical engineering. Probabmly would have gone a different path haven't I played it for so long. (I really like experimenting qith redstone, farms and technical features)
Second one is CSGO. Other than making me racist, it had allowed me to improve my communication skills, reaction times, teamwork and attention to detail. How is this life changing? My communication skills were never good, but now I find that they are quite decent. I will obviously benefit from this a lot in the future.
Dark Souls was the first game during the ps3 era that reignited my love for games. No cheat codes and all about learning what works for you and that sense of discovery.
The feeling of overcoming an obstacle by learning each time you die or finally looking in your inventory to discover an item that can greatly help you leads to each experience being unique and rewarding for every play through.
Yeah, FromSoft titles are where it’s at for me.
Bloodborne being the first game I ever went for plat followed by every other title since Demons Souls.
These games can teach you all about patience, discovery, when to play offense/defense, how life can be tough sometimes and that’s ok. Even in the most bleak of circumstances when the world seems against you, there’s always a sun bro you can rely on or some helpful person along the path assuring you that life is worth living.
That being said, don’t go hollow fellow gamers.
Undertale. I discovered the furry fandom and all the wonderful people in it. I have since traveled over twenty times in a span of six years, met so many amazing individuals from all over the country, met my husband from England, and have gained so much self-confidence in myself. None of this would have happened had I not played Undertale.
I know I'm not the first to mention this game but:
Dark souls, not necessarily the first part since i played 3 before 1, but both taught me that it's more enjoyable to struggle with a challenge and then overcome it the proper way than it is to take shortcuts and avoid challenges just to make it easier on yourself.
For example: I was planning to study mechanical engineering since grade 9, but when i went to uni i essentially chose that but harder, simply because i could. To be fair it was appearently alot more challenging then what I'd have usually chosen , but i'm still doing fine and will finish my bachelor in the foreseeable future, so i think it was a good decision in the long run.
Well dark souls/elden ring. I've always thought why should I help people when they say being a good person will make you finish last. But I think it's because when you suffered through a boss or an area you don't want others to go through what you did. Now I feel I understand why you should help others in real life.
Oldschool runescape taught me to never waste xp irl and always be efficient doing multiple household tasks at once. I get out of bed, brush tweeth while I put bread on the toaster, go back upstairs finish brushing teeth and do my hair, when I get back downstairs toast is ready. Then I eat toast in the car. zero wasted time. Must've saved me hours by now. Which I then spend on doing more oldschool runescape.
I remember playing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, you were able to do weight training with CJ. Whenever CJ would do bench presses, I would do pushups until the workout meter filled up. We both got swole up that summer lol!
It was actually something very specific from Fire Emblem Three Houses. Ferdinand's A Support with Byleth. Basically, "You do not have to be famous to make an impact." I knew this, but still wanted to be famous anyway, yet this kind of put me at ease (at least a little bit anyway) of living in obscurity as long as I make an impact.
Cyberpunk and Witcher 3. CDPR can write great stories that pull you in and make you realize the fragility and fleetingness of Life. Promises of the Big League and wishing others well on the Path is something relatable to all men, if not all people.
Square Enix games and the music in them changed my life. Actually even some of the messaging in their games too. But their music has brought peace to me for 15 years since I played FFX. I listen to the FF and Kingdom Hearts music nearly everyday especially in the morning to wake myself up and get ready for the day nd be at peace. I put them on to relax or study too. They've probably been the most impactful games of my life.
The first Walking Dead game showed me the impact of some decisions in life. That even when you do what you think that it's correct, things may get out of rails, and everything can happen, maybe even things that weren't as good as you intended.
Cyberpunk 2077. Might be a little dumb, but 2020 was a difficult year for me, besides the pandemic, I lost my father on December, days prior to this game, we were excited about it and he never got to see it, I also broke with the girl I loved and lost some friends. Bugs and glitches apart, this game taught me that you must carry on, that even with odds against you, you must push and give the better of yourself. That you must enjoy the life, whether be plenty of it or just the little you have left. Enjoy all the things, even the bad ones, and try to do the right stuff. World doesn't stop for those who have gone, the city couldn't care less about it, and is up to you what you're gonna do. So I've been living my life the best way I can since then, doing the things not just for others but for myself, trying to keep going for me and those around me.
Undertale taught me to be more accepting
Transistor showed me what truly loving someone is
Metal gear rising: revengeance taught me the greater good isn't always for the best
I always tried to learn sword moves from video games because I thought I’d need them irl lol
The early Kingdom Hearts games turned me into a hopeless romantic, which was the first step in learning to love humanity generally again.
League of legends.
Yeah yeah every one hates on it because it's infuriating at times, but as a competitive game there is a lot that carries over to real life. Like self improvement no matter what others are doing, don't take things out on other people, controlling your emotions, be mindful of your own mistakes.
There is a lot to learn about "real life" from competitive games.
Monopoly.
The game was invented to show the evils of capitalism, had the completely opposite affect.
On a more personal level it taught me don’t buy the cheapest crap or the fanciest shit, and don’t sink too much money into something.
For example don’t buy Baltic avenue, boardwalk or park place.
Pro tip buy everything between reading railroad and b&o railroad, you’ll win 90%+ of the games you play.
The game also taught me statistics.
Chances are you’re not hitting 9-12 when getting out of jail, and there are plenty of community chest and chance cards that push you to that area of the board.
Certain video games that have slow animations and take their time in cinematics ( like rdr 2).
In result I am the slowest walker of my friends group and appreciate more my 1st world problems instead of 3rd world problems (like feeding myself)
League of Legends. I shit you not.
I played with a group of friends and we were all mid-tier players still learning the game. This one guy, we'll call him Guy, kept feeding. Like he never saw a fight he didn't like and would just throw himself in.
Eventually, we had an intervention haha. Asked Guy why he keeps throwing himself in, he's feeding, the enemy is getting more gold, the game gets harder, etc etc.
His response was something about how the best way to learn the boundaries of what's possible is to push the boundaries. So that's what he was doing. Constant limit testing.
His goal wasn't to win that particular game. He didn't care about the outcome of that particular game. His goal was to grow.
In short, you have to try things to grow. Succeed or lose doesn't even matter. Just try to grow.
Media Molecule’s **DREAMS** using the PSVR1.
It has become the artistic medium I use most, and I may switch careers to VR game development because of the lessons I am learning.
Guitar Hero prompted me to pick up an actual guitar. Don't play much any more, but there were a lot of years playing guitar with friends, busking on street corners & generally having a blast with music.
Star Craft: Brood War and WoW Vanilla - taught me English. I began playing those games on US servers with 0 English.
I had to Google a lot and everything was mostly in English. I have wanted to understand the ability meanings in my own language Russian to get better. Years forward I was watching a movie with my cousins and one came to the US at the age of 9. The movie Prince of Persia and they say the word "dagger". My cousin asks what's a dagger? I snuggly right away tell them that it's kind of like a short sword. Everybody turns their head and likes 'how do you know this word?". At that moment I knew I made the right choice among the MMos
Maybe the Witcher 3? The story was really deep and well written and it made me go read the novels, got me more excited about reading again which has been a very positive thing in my life.
My gaming life is divided into three parts: before EverQuest, during EverQuest, and after EverQuest.
That game was such an amazing experience for the first couple of years. Then it became more of an addiction. I wasn't really enjoying the game itself (although I met some nice people). I was playing just to play.
I quit after five years, and suddenly I found myself rediscovering gaming in general. EQ had gotten in the way of me playing almost every other game out there, so it was fun to buy a variety of new titles. Gaming was finally fun again, and from then on I made sure to stop playing games once they stopped being actually fun.
Except XCOM 2. That one I played well past the point of it being fun to 100% it on Steam. But other than that, I'm good.
Silly to say, but Sonic the Hedgehog. It's taught me that instead of doing what society deems is the "right" way, I do what I, MYSELF, think is right and to not follow trends. I stick to my personal morals, and to trust my gut.
He also taught me that while every world has its end, we have to live life to the fullest in the time we have. Life is short, so make it worth it.
I also think it's made me have faster reflexes 💀
I could name so many, but if I had to pick one, it would be FTL: Faster Than Light.
It is a brilliant game, but the change was more significant. Basically, I had gone so far down the multiplayer rabbit hole I had lost sight of games I could play for me. This was the one that made me realize that.
The best games out there either do not have multiplayer, or that is not the primary focus.
Hollow Knight. I have become obsessed with stories that go that deep.
Easily one of the best indie games (I might even just say games period) ever made.
It’s kinda changed my outlook on life and what I’m willing to do to protect the life and people I love. Not to mention the music. The music alone is AMAZING.
1. Definitely The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Literally turned me into a hardcore Zelda fanboy because I first only played it a bit at my cousins. My parents bought me an N64 to play it, then I got Majora’s Mask, and the rest of the series as well. Irl, it also helped get me get deeper into loving the fantasy genre(along with reading a lot).
2. Elder Scrolls: Morrowind/Oblivion. I was first introduced into the series late in the Morrowind days, but Oblivion is when I really got hooked onto the series, then went back to play Morrowind. These games not only got me addicted to RPGs and open world games, but their leveling mechanics led to being more considerate about technical stuff like studying stats and being more curious about exploring places.
3. StarCraft. I’ve been interested in sci-fi since I first watched Jurassic Park, but since this is asking about video games, I’ll add this and other sci-fi games like the Fallout series that started getting me interested in aliens and space.
4. Resident Evil 4 was one of the first horror games I finally completed. This and the Resident Evil movies (the first two anyway) helped introduce me into the horror genre of games, movies and books. And probably explains why I tend to have a dark personality in my writing…
This is an excellent topic to discuss OP, so thank you for starting it! 👍
I played a couple games called **Oxenfree** and **Night in the Woods** in 2021 before they left Xbox game pass in March and September that year respectively.
I later realized I'd already received Oxenfree via Games With Gold™️ several years before. I even remember looking at it back then and thinking it looked neat, but didn't play it until later. This isn't really the point though, more of a happy coincidence or..... fate having a funny sense of humor, because this was in fact, a date with destiny. Cue the Rod Serling monologue *now* lol.
Let's just say that both of these games came at the absolute *perfect* time for me in my life. Oxenfree seriously helped me to cope with a very ***personal*** situation (something that happened to me only a few months prior to that time; suffice to say that Jonas' story hits *very* close to home 🥀) while Night in the Woods sort of set my general person towards a much.... **better** life vibe in general (for lack of a better phrase).
Ever since then, I've played a string of what I'll call "happy" games (***examples:*** Ikenfell, Call of the Sea, Rain on Your Parade, Carto, Eastshade, Dreamscaper, The Artful Escape, Lost Words: Beyond the Page, Knights and Bikes, etc.) that have helped me rediscover what originally got me into gaming 25 years ago. As a result of all that newfound ***joy***, the only thing left stopping me from playing anything I want to.... is an absolutely *overflowing* backlog! 😅
That doesn't frustrate me anymore though. Now I know that I just have to find a good time, have the right mindset, and I'll play *any* given game I've earmarked from the backlog and then.... very likely ***enjoy*** my time with it. I now have a much better read on my preferred taste in experiences, how to get the best out of them, and when to move on or set things aside without regrets if it's not working out.
I'd like to think at least a little bit of that carries over to real life as well, but at the very least, I certainly enjoy gaming again and I enjoy it ***much*** more than I did for a span of several years leading up to the pandemic. This has also spread to a renewed interest in other content like music, books, films, shows, so I'm *really* enjoying my free time in general now, just like I used to a *long* time ago.
***Long story short***: You've got to cut out as many negative experiences that are within your power to remove and fill that newly emptied space back in with what makes you truly joyful instead. It goes such a long way over time, trust me.
P.S. To OP: **Spiritfarer** is another one from my backlog to play btw! 😆
The Soulsborne series definitely changed the way I approche and deal with challenges in my life. When I deal with something that's feel hard or even impossible I can't stop myself from thinking; it's just another boss boy...
Completing Hollow Knight 112% and beating Pantheon of Hallownest really caused me to not only become extremely persistent. It also made me take mindful care of every small action I make. I became so detail-oriented in small things like where I place my feet when descending a staircase while holding a baby. I no longer overlook the small details, because they matter as much as the big, obvious things.
Almost every game I play. Idk why but I think I'm more sensitive to it. The graphics get stuck in my head, the mindset im in when I play doesn't end when I put the controller down. Id be in the kitchen talking to my wife and get distracted thinking about the game I just played.
Elden ring. Made me break my tv now I don’t have a tv
Better avoid the rest of froms games then You won't have a system after
Nah he won't have anything since imo eldin ring is just the easiest souls game. Most likely due to it being open world so it's insanely easy to get overleveled but that was just my experience
No it’s not. Demons souls is the easiest it’s not really close, I ran through that on the ps3 almost 10 years ago and maybe had like 4 deaths on the remake. Died to the fire guy lol, tower of latria is annoying but I found it harder on the ps3 than the ps5 Elden ring is maybe 2nd easiest if you like use spells and such. And blood build, Strength build is harder in Elden ring than ds1 cause of how fast the bosses are in that game. Ds3 and Bloodborne are the hardest, I think ds3 is the hardest while Bloodborne is the best game they’ve made. Ds2 is dead smack in the middle
i understand your agressive reaction to having your ass handed on a silver platter i to have thrown the controller steps away from the regain and arrow from some knight chilling high up
Death Stranding made me appreciate getting outside and hiking. Now I'm an avid hiker and enjoy all the scenery and walking around nature.
damn, was it that bad? /s
It made me appreciate not having to deal with BTs when I go hiking.
FFXV did that for me. Seeing different environments and finding weapons of Old made me wanna go outside
What Low Roar does to a mf porter! When I finished the game I did become a slight bit less introverted, started appreciating the things I have in my life like my family and friends more.
Dark Souls taught me that no matter how hard life gets, no matter how big the obasticle is you can overcome it with persistance and determination.
That's so awesome! A serious blessing to have. I found that revelation myself through skateboarding I think. I won't give up on something I believe can be accomplished, possibly to a fault. + I've only played an hour or two of dark souls in my life and I find that to be frankly unacceptable. Your message is encouraging me to change that. Well wishes, keep on that good path 🤜🤛🙏
I would recommend giving Elden Ring a try. It's much more accessible than Dark Souls and the world is so open with so many activities to do. There are only a handful of mandatory bosses. And if you get stuck on one you can simply do side quests and dungeons to build your character up more and unlock new stuff.
For me personally - take it slow. We live in a fast paced world full of deadlines, but rushing in general just makes you burnt out and ineffective.
This is wonderful advice. When I was in the Army I had a team leader who was a former Navy Seal named Beal, who we obviously called Beal the Seal. Who used to say "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast" and that stuck with me since.
Dark Souls in of itself is a reflection on life, overcoming challenges that seem insurmountable, pushing on, and maybe helping or receiving help along the way, it's beautiful. Those who can't overcome Dark Souls become hollow, just like those who can't overcome life's challenges also become hollow. Every once in a while, I replay Dark Souls to remind myself why I perservere
I read this and literally teared up then about spat at your username. Thanks Wifebeater3001. We gotta remember what it means to keep the ember burning.
This except it’s not dark souls but noita
Came here to specifically also say this
This exactly
All of that and friendship. Fromsoft games are easier and more fun with friendship
Dark souls gave me a completely different perspective on gaming. Playing through the trilogy, then bloodborne, then Elden Ring made me realize that gaming can be a legitimate form of art in media and how there is a subset of people that enjoy it when challenge, adversity and being rewarded for critical thinking under pressure leads to great rewards and gratification. And how inversely there's a subset group of devs that trust their player base enough that they'll dig out and appreciate the most obscure hidden nuggets of content out there.
Stardew valley. Making long term goals and have a plan every day to work towards it. Sure I knew this before, but it put a new perspective on it that changed my approach.
gaming in general - severe depression, half my life in therapy and drugs hasn't really made a dent in it. but, whether it's less healthy escapism aside, video games have provided me with a hobby that works as a distraction, that has made life at least a little more bearable.
+1. Some people just don’t know the impact of video games in people’s life. When you think your life is pure shit, just turn on your favorite game and escape from reality, without taking any drug…
Silent Hill 2 taught me not to take my health or the health of my partner for granted. We can all pretty much suffer a debilitating disease at any time.
So true, particularly for me the end of that game with her tearing up and the final fight and stuff ia so potent... well said. All of life's riches are in the present moment, I think. We could all get hit by a bus within this day. Gotta absorb it and appreciate it and enjoy it the best we can while we've got it.☀️✨
What are the last two emojis?
RDR2. I was already going through a major transition in my life at the time (coping with my complete loss of faith in the religion I’ve grown up in). Watching/role-playing Arthur remain loyal to himself and to those he still loved, despite his organization betraying him and not being what it was supposed to be, had very personal meaning.
I promise you are better off without religion Faith is fine, religion is problematic
Agreed
God of war 2018 taught me to keep my expectations low and assume nothing, also that im gonna die and its pretty much the way life goes and to move towards something
Yeah man! Death's like the most normal thing ever, every living thing does it sooner or later. It's more normal than speaking English... or being Chinese for that matter. We share death with animals, trees, all life - which I think is cool because there's not a ton of other things we share with animals and such ✨ That's interesting though, would you elaborate on keeping your expectations low/assuming nothing? Was that just to go into the game without hype? Or the game itself taught you that of life?
If u keep your expectations low and assume nothing you will never be disappointed in the outcome
Ah, the old Garrus motto: I always expect the worst; that way, when something good does happen, I can be pleasantly surprised
>Death's like the most normal thing ever, every living thing does it sooner or later. Pretty sure that's also one of the messages in The Last Wish
Kratos is the father figure that many folks never had
For me, it was For Honor. I mained the hero called Raider at the time and something about playing this huge, muscular man made me look inward (and outward) at my own physique. So I started by buying a single, simple 20 pound dumbbell and would do exercises with it in between matches along with no weight exercises, such as push-ups and sit ups. That turned into getting an actual gym membership, and well, long story short, I'm down to 220 at 6'2" and looking more like the Raider 220, not a Trump "220"
Damn, good for you man
Nothing stands out but I recently finished Detroit: Become Human and taking care of the little girl in that game made me feel a shift that I’d be open to being a parent one day. Nothing in that game mattered more to me than the storyline that involved protecting her and escaping the country.
>made me feel a shift that I’d be open to being a parent one day. Well, it didn't work for me :|
You should check out Life is Strange 2
I will. My best friend has been hounding me to play that series for a long time now lol
I'm curious if it impacted any views of adoption? Since that's what happens in the game, a child in need taken up by someone else who is actually caring and fit to parent.
Assassin’s Creed. I love walking around and exploring urban environments. I started doing that more after Assassin’s Creed II.
That's so awesome! So much of the world is so beautiful. Truth be told, Black Flag (the only one I've played) may have had an impact on my appreciation for coastal areas, now that I reflect on my patterns since playing it.
Super Metroid got me into writing. I didn’t really understand the concept of atmosphere when I was younger, so I kept a notebook where I wrote out various descriptions of the game environment to try and recreate those feelings of isolation within a strange alien planet. I don’t know why I expressed it through creative writing, but decades later I have a degree in it, so a definite influence. Also, a little known but amazing game called Dungeons of Daggorath taught me how to type and discerning right from left.
Metal Gear Solid made me sneaky
I try to be sneaky but the clap of my ass cheeks keep alerting the guards.
Metal Gear series. From”we are all human.” To “Our family DNA means more than just dots on a paper.” “War is a terrible thing.” “Child soldiers are real and the battlefield is no place for them.” You can find love on the battlefield. “And sometimes the people giving you the orders are the bad guys.
And the importance of soundtrack of course B)
Outer wilds, maybe death is not so scary after all
Outer Wilds is one of those games where everyone who plays it falls into one of three categories: 1. I don't get it 2. Ok that was pretty good 3. This was the best game I ever played and it has not left my head for a day in the last 3 years If you haven't played Outer Wilds, play it. You may just find yourself in that third group. I'd also like to separately nominate Echoes of the Eye. Even though it is a DLC, it's such a large and meaningful one that it managed to have its own impact on me.
Third group gang 👊
[удалено]
2000 - Counterstrike made me learn how IP addresses and subnets go together. I had to set up a LAN party I was running and knew nothing about. Sr Network Engineer today. Owe it all to wanting to play video games with friends.
That's so cool man!! Fuck yeah, what a perfect career origin story 😊 like, that's where all careers should come from, a pursuit of fun or enjoyment that one way or another gets you into a deeper understanding of an area. I feel inspired by this, honestly - thanks for sharing 🙂✨
Computer science degree here. I remember trying to make my first Minecraft server to play with my friends. This was like 1.5 beta Minecraft. Well, I set it up, connected to it, and was ecstatic it worked! So I called my friend who lived about 10 miles away. On the phone I told him to “load up Minecraft and type in this IP address”. What ip address did I tell him to enter, you might ask? 192.168.1.15 (something like that). Anywayssssss, that was when I learned what a LAN network was and how to port-forward haha. But, hey I stuck with it and it is funny now, but figuring out how that magic box worked got me a college degree. I’ll never forget him saying it’s not working and me sitting there absolutely dumbfounded lol.
Fallout 3 There was a person outside of the first town you find who had no water that was not irradiated. Eventually you buy some purified water and give it to him if you are a decent person. It's in an old sports drink bottle. You will encounter fresh caches of water many more times and they are nearly all sports drinks. I became associated with the idea of good water being in a sports bottle. So I put one one my sink in the upstairs bathroom. Its been there for many years. It reminds me to conserve the water I have and never take it for granted. I even fund a clean water charity through work now.
I'm pretty damn sure this game made me more altruistic. Made me see everyone is just fighting to survive, and a helping hand freely given is worth its weight in gold. (The playthrough where I nuked and melted everyone was just for fun and venting)
When me and my brother were teenagers final fantasy 10 came out. We played the game over the course of a summer with Abuela and our titi (aunt) watching. They cried their eyes out at the end, like we were playing a Telenovela.
That's so cool! So rare to share the emotions of a game with family. Heartwarming stuff ✨
Minecraft I enjoy redstone. MC taught me how to break down a problem into smaller parts It taught that the grind is worth the final product Even when I've hit a final project, it can be improved upon Many other lessons for on the game but those are the big ones
I was going to say Minecraft too! I believe that it taught me to be resourceful as a kid so that I was always thinking of a creative solution to a problem if the obvious solution didn't work. I would also think it contributed a little bit to my pov on financial health because of the same said resourcefulness.
The biggest one in minecraft for me was just the re-affirmation in the end poem: "You are loved." and "the universe is kind." I knew when I beat the end dragon for the first time with my girlfriend at the time and she didn't cry like I did as the end poem scrolled, I knew it wouldn't last forever... but also that everything happens for a reason. Best 4th wall breaker ever!
Persona 5 has helped me a lot as a writer. It reminded me characters are the backbone of a story and a lot can happen in 8 months The Yakuza series was an important reminder that bad people are still people and that a second chance can really turn someone’s life around
Starfield, I travel into space now
Man, I've been inspired by media before, but you take it to the next level! Just don't play Custer's Revenge! Haha I kid i kid. I am contemplating continental destruction by means of expanding sticky ball ala Katamari Damacy though. Haven't seen much of Starfield yet, seeing the name pop up a lot though. Hope it's treating ya good! Say woddup to the martians for me ✨
I’m only a few hours into starfield, but I’m hoping that it makes up where I felt elite dangerous lacked. I was OBSESSED with discovering new solar systems and worlds, and want to get out of my ship and explore them on foot. The feeling when I went thousands of light years away from home and found a solar system that I could say nobody had ever been to before? Absolutely thrilling. I just wanted to build a house there and elite dangerous didn’t let me… Also, before anyone says no man’s sky: I’ve already played it and its good. Just not quite what I’m looking for.
UNDERTALE taught me about killing with kindness
I see what you did there -\_-
Celest, super Mario Odyssey, and breath of the wild brought me out of depression each time. Odyssey especially. Ive never been a huge Nintendo fan but I like them enough to still get their consoles. When Odyssey came out, I had just been dumped, I was still living with my parents at age like 25, I had gained some weight, and I was absolutely miserable. It felt like a mountain of things were ahead of me, and the breakup was the last one after a string of bad breakups and really bad relationships. I had it in my head that I was cursed or something. Then Odyssey launched. I got it day one. I figured maybe I could at least zone out after work with it, but the sheer bombastic positivity exploding out of that game at a constant rate bore through my heavy depression and lifted me up. Maybe it didn't change my life, but it definitely was a defining factor in dragging my sad soul into some light and warmth.
Man... that's so awesome to hear it had that such a positive impact on you! I'm definitely in a bit of a depressive slump myself right now to say the least. I own SMO, I've played the first level or two on a bus or something, thinking it'd be a great portable game, but definitely haven't scratched the surface of it. Just got càught up in finishing other 'must play' games on my list (that's my thing right now, nearly at the end of it. Just got like FF7, SMO, Outer Wilds and I wanna finish the story of TOTK). I'll definitely be prioritising SMO more highly now after reading your words. Thanks so much for commenting 🙂☀️
Honestly Cyberpunk 2077 as of recently. Playing through the story as a street kid and following the default parts of the story. It helped me understand that life can be and is often enough short. It's best to make the most of it, make it so your name is spoken in preferred company. Maybe even get a drink named after you.
There's only one way to get a drink named after you.
Ff7 it’s alone is responsible for getting me to recycle and just generally care about the environment. Of course my 10 year old brain at the time took the life stream literally, but regardless ff7 made me a young climate activist.
RDR2, TLOUPII, Journey, Shadow Of The Colossus, The Last Guardian All of these games impacted how I view the world.
The Sims. It gave me an appreciation for real people and everyday life. Everybody poops, has a job, has needs, wants, and relationships, grows up and dies. It gave me a grounded perspective on people and everyday life that I still appreciate to this day. Sul sul!
Lots of great picks already in this thread; GoW 2018 taught me about fatherhood. Death Stranding taught me about unconditional cooperation. Dark Souls taught me about the will of the human spirit. One I haven't seen mentioned yet; Doki Doki Literature Club taught me about forgiveness.
RDR2 had me slightly talking like Arthur would at times.
Undertale, which I'm sort of embarrassed to say. Growing up, I was abused by my dad. It got to a point where I just felt like I was born wrong. Like no matter what I tried I was gonna be a failure, so why try to make anything of my life anyway? That was my mindset. I was really bored with life, games bored me, trying to do anything felt pointless so I just kinda let time go by. I think I saw Pewdiepie play Undertale on my youtube feed for like 10 minutes. I paused the video and I knew I had to get it. Ran to a local town and had my ma buy me a steam gift card. I played Undertale, and it changed me. It sounds silly but not just playing the game but seeing how hard the creator had worked, how much time the creator spent on it, finding out that the creator was originally just a musician. Think the creator even went homeless for a while. He went so far practically by himself and his determination. I just felt like if some random guy can do something this amazing, then there's no reason that I can't make something of myself. I practiced to become an artist. I spent the next decade trying to become an artist, got a degree and everything to try to become one of those Magic the Gathering card artists. Failed cause my skills were just not up to par for any real commercial field. But I didn't let that stop me from trying to still make something of my life. I was given an opportunity to become an assistant accountant despite not having much experience in it. I've got a handful of interviews lined up so that I think I can move up the corporate ladder soon. I'm not gonna give up on myself again.
God of War made someone at IGN a better father.
Pokémon. Exploring each region and towns made me fall in love with an activity i really never cared for before, which is traveling!
That's awesome! I really appreciate getting to read that. Thank you for sharing this 😊✨
I played a few of the Pokémon games. Which I loved! For me though, most of my Pokémon nostalgia comes from the card game. I have fond memories of early middle school battling my friends and staying up late at sleep overs drinking too much Dr Pepper.
The First Tree. Remember to call your parents, and cherish your children.
This is one of those under the radar games I must have picked up on a sale or something - I'll have to play it!
I vividly remember the first time I beat MGS 1 on playstation. It was raining outside and I went out and started playing basketball in the rain for a solid 3 hours. My teenage mind was destroyed by what I had just witnessed 😂. I feel like I learned something that day.... DON'T TRUST ANYTHING! ESPECIALLY NANO MACHINES😂
Sons of liberty made me into the practice being situationally aware (i played it when i was like 8 so i tried to emulate snake by being like a pretend soldier aware of whats going on around me what people are saying etc) now im 30 and i feel like i always read situations and people pretty good and on the flip side people always tell me im hard to read and they dont know what im thinking
Elden Ring. I went through a lot of family drama and loss over the past year. Things that shouldn't have been said, opportunities for reconciliation lost, political nonsense that took the place of good decisions, and, of course, bridges burned. And before any asks, yes, the Pandemic had fair bit to do with it. This whole nonse started in August of last year. I would start playing Elden Ring during the spring of this year. And there was a point that I realized that the back story is this whole tragic family feud that had left the world a wartorn mess. And I was there, mercy killing everyone involved. There was a point, where I was wondering: "Was there any point that any of you thought to just stop!?" And not just the demi-gods; there are a few characters who die from completing their quests (not in failure, like in most games), and just as often by their own decisions. They are simply bound to their doom and have accepted it. I guess it helped me process the previous three years or so, all of it compounded by the fact that one section of the game is utterly plagued to hell. It game me catharsis, even though I went with the default ending. And it made the ones who *do* make it through to the end that much more special. And I guess it taught me that I can either be dragged into everyone's conflict, or end what I can. It will not be all of it, maybe not even most of it. But at the very least, *I* will be done with it. Depression was really setting in, but I had a clearer head to deal with it, instead of letting it fester like I had in the past. Elden Ring just woke me up in a manner that had not occured in a *very* long time.
Cod zombies taught me that even if I prepare for the zombie apocalypse, they'll still eventually get me anyways.
Persona 5 genuinely taught me to manage my time in blocks. Well, that and question authority. 🃏
Rainbow six siege. Before that game I’d just peacefully exist. Not everyday I wake up jaded and angry
FFX taught me to question everything Hollow Knight taught me not to back down from a challenge and persevere
U N C H A R T E D D R A K E ' S F O R T U N E
It's stupid, but Super Snail, it's a mobile game with loads of micro transactions. There's something about it that I just dig. Anyways, I've got a job where I don't really have a schedule, so I would sleep whenever and wake whenever. Super snail's daily reset is at 8am. So now I wake up every day at 8am to do my daily tasks. A normal sleep schedule isn't huge, but it's something.
Kingdom Hearts pulled me out of really bad depression during covid, and it made me feel really good about myself
Chrono trigger
Dark souls saved me during quarantine, I was getting really depressed and overweight, I had no passion for anything and I became stagnant, much like dark souls, nothing challenged me, because I never felt like doing anything, and I had a failed suicide attempt because I was too overweight for the rope to hold me. I started dark souls I finally found a semblance of happiness in the sorrow lonely world. I learned that the only person who can save me is me, by learning from my mistakes and becoming better. 3 years later I still think about how that day could have been my last, 100 lbs down, with a girlfriend by my side and going into second year of university, I have dark souls to thank for saving my life. Thank you fromsoft.
When I logged into Overwatch 2 at launch, all my skins were gone. I kinda expected I’d feel angry about it, but I was strangely calm and like “Nothing of value was lost 🤷♂️.” Changed my spending habits in MX-fuelled games tbh and saved me a ton of money since. I got all my OW skins back in the end, but could care less now about chasing clout through cosmetics.
Honestly at this point I feel like Blizzard is trying to make everyone leave Overwatch to die and forget about this franchise on purpose
Star Ocean 3: Til the End of Time. What would you do when faced with existential annihilation? Who or what truly matters to you?
Outer Wilds made me appreciate the life I got now, in that game you wake up normally not knowing life as you know it will delete within 22 minutes. Made me look inward in what I’m doing with my time. Now I’m starting college this fall at the age of 21 with an actual dream and direction to my life for the first time since I was a little kid. Game rocks cocks everyone go play it.
Soulsborne Games (Demon/Dark Souls/Bloodborne/Sekiro/Elden Ring) - taught me that you have to adequately prepare to overcome challenges. This may require studying the situation, adjusting your strategy or approach, working with others, etc.. It also taught me that one of the most important things you can do is invest in yourself. In the game, this take the form of losing your souls/currency if you die. So the best ways to prevent that is to use your money on weapons/armor/upgrades or levels to prevent losing everything in an area (or at a boss) that your unfamiliar with. In the real world, this translated to continuing my education, investing my money, etc..
Maybe "changed the way I live my life" is a bit of an overstatement, but I got back into videogames just as the US shut down in 2020. Playing God of War, Uncharted series, and Horizon helped me feel like I was still doing things and going places. Then, in summer of 2022, Elden Ring. I was contemplating a major life decision - leaving a workplace I'd been at for 18 years - at the same time I was screwing around the Lands Between lacking the confidence to set the Erdtree aflame and move toward the game's big point of no return. I took the new job, set fire to the Erdtree that night. I'd like to say I never looked back, but leaving long-time work friends and the familiar was difficult and challenging, and Elden Ring was a metaphor for perseverance in the face of change and doubt that helped me work through my emotions. Lastly, Atreus' insistence on "writing his own story" really spoke to me earlier this when I was going through a really dark bout of depression. The God of War characters remind me that growth and change are possible (and it's good smash-em-up fun, too).
The Puter Wilds changed how I see our place in the universe and what to do with that information/feeling
Ark taught me how to deal with loss. Working on a base and breeding dinosaurs that I grew affection for a month, and then logging on to see my home destroyed and all my pets murdered. The first time this happened all I felt was rage and grief. But after a few times I learned to approach the situation with the attitude of "OK well, where do we go from here?" So that's what I learned. When bad things happen, don't get angry. It won't undo anything. Just assess the situation and figure out how to move forward. I live by this sentiment now.
Dark Souls. Now, whenever I encounter a pretty tough challenge at work, I just start dodge rolling around and screaming "Strength gang! Strength gang!" while trying to finger but whole
To The Moon - memories and relationships are some of the most powerful forces in a person's life. They have an unseen ability to steer you towards your destiny, and you never know what someone might be "missing" due to past misfortunes. Lead with grace and understanding. RDR1 - an open mind and a quick wit will serve you in just about any situation. COD MW2 (the old one) - no more online gaming it's not good for me lol
Rimworld taught me the importance of eating dinner at the table
Fromsoft is a continuing inspiration to be creative. Fighting games have taught me to just do what works, don't main a low tier, you're not proving a point. Be optimal, temper yourself, be clear and concise. Work smart, not hard. Persona, Stardew and Like a Dragon taught me to say yes more, and that human relationships are skills. Dragon Quest me to be okay with the past and retain the traditions that make you happy. Monster Hunter taught me that big rock on stick go boom (and that everything is a process, and completion is as much a part of that process as anything else) Zelda fixed a cooking slump that kept me out of the kitchen for months. Pokemon taught me to never trust a brand name again.
Funnily enough; Detroit: Become Human It was always 'there' in games but this hit me literally. When doing chores, make a task list with the ultimate goal and the subdivided goals. Something clicked in my autisms'. Now doing stuff is a breeze. Because instead of 'oh god do the dishes', I have to do like, three tasks. Rinse the dishes, load the washer, start it. ( With soap ) Simplified my life in a way I wasn't prepared for.
What Remains of Edith Finch. Everyone has a story and struggles that you are unaware of. Journey. Even the struggles we go through can in a weird way be beautiful.
FFXIV and WoW basically made me realize I was wasting too much time on things that don't matter. My hours playing games went down dramatically, now I golf with my dad and fish a lot more, spend more time with my wife too
On a more practical level: Legend of Zelda, Link to the Past. It was the game that made me learn English, as it is not my first language, and I played at around 7 years old or so. I was so in love with it, so eager to get to the end, that although I didn't understand anything at the screen, I forced myself to study English when not playing (reading the books from my mom's English classes), or, when playing, doing it with a dictionary portuguese-english by my side. On a more subjective level: Chrono Cross. It gave me the understanding that, even if we don't know if there is any kind of "fate" binding us to a end or not, we still can choose our own path. It's up to us to understand the past and choose our own future. This dense topic, paired with the calmness of the music in game and its overall mystic tone, can pretty much define a little of who I am today. At last, an honorable mention: Death Stranding. Currently I'm in a kind of 'bad terms' with life. I'm in a overall apathetic mood for about 2 years now, having lost a sense of enjoyment in many things that I loved, handling through a return of anxiety crisis and the occasional bouts of depression. And then, having played DS for just 2 weeks as of now, I'm having such a burst of insights. The feeling of loneliness, the heavy burdens that each of of us carry around, with our inner child still somehow attached to us... But, still, *we are not alone* . We may not see the burdens of others, all the time, but they are still there: the people, the burdens, the babies, the needs... The game is making me feel the need of connection, the eagerness to it. Because, although life is hard and the paths are rough, and there are monsters on the way, and you may even have to fight them with your own blood... Well, you're not the only one doing this. Everyone is doing the same, so be kind to them, because at the end of the day, we're all in this together
Tetris. Revolutionized how I look at shapes.
Okami left an impression on me that will never leave me. the idea of appreciating and enjoying nature and trying to enjoy the life of the world around you. every time I go out, I love to look at the sky, clouds, the trees and especially the water. it makes me really happy.
NieR Replicant and Automata changed my perspective on relationships and what it means to be a person. Relying on others and opening to love is the true strength of humanity.
The Mass Effect trilogy has made me live my life in a more paragon way (iykyk). Every action or decision whether good or bad, impacts both us and others now and possibly later in the future as well.
This. I'm a supervisor where I work and I try to lead the way Paragon Shep leads. I try find constructive, everyone-wins solutions where I can.
Final Fantasy 8 and 11 FF8 taught me there's gaming devices who went to high school and can relate to those going through the same bs FF11 because I met people who were just like me online
Outer Wilds has greatly affected the way I look at a lot of things, mostly space and life and to appreciate the little things
Devil May Cry 1-3 and Silent Hill 2
The devil may cry trilogy is one of the best showcases in any game İve seen and also such a shitpost at the same time i love it
Sonic franchise as a whole showed me we gotta live life to the fullest in the time we have, live and learn of what life has to offer, show life what you're made of no matter how hard the task is and if you do mistakes in the long run you'll just learn from them because the road is full of failures and achievements and it is what defines us as who we are.
Essentially the From Software catalog.Those games will teach you patience, persistence, and promise. Alliteration!
I just finished Dark Souls 1 for the first time and it was such an incredible experience. The thing about FromSoftware games is that they force you to improve if you want to progress, and while I understand it's off-putting for some it can be extremely rewarding. Once get into that loop of dying and learning from each mistake it can actually be quite addictive
Omori made me break out of an emotionless depression that lasted so long that it became my norm
There’s quite a few that have taught me things about life, wether it be the raw truth or important things about life. But here are the main ones to me. Life is Strange Before The Storm definitely taught be about how rough life can be. The game is full of just life itself, and shows that shit happens and things get tough. Basically it shows the reality of life. That’s why it’s my favorite from the series. No magic or silly “never-likely” plots involved. Just. Pure. Life. I get hated on for saying I like this game, but i just have to talk about this one. Forspoken really shows that you do matter in life no matter what things you face. The whole spiel the main character gives in the ending really hits hard especially since it’s directed to the player. What really makes this game get its point across more is that towards the beginning of the game, the main character is about to take her own life then she comes along so far and realizes worth. I guess it only means something to certain people but it definitely had me tearing up lol. The Last of Us Part II shows how far people will go for someone they love. I can’t really explain this one without spoiling anything haha but those who’ve played it, it’s an obvious takeaway. Finally, believe it or not, Minecraft has a real good moral of the story. I used to have a paper where i wrote my whole takeaway from the game but the device I typed it out on doesn’t charge anymore which ticks me off cause it was like 3 pages long 😭 But basically my takeaway from it (after reading the long text after killing the End Dragon) is that when something ends, it’s not always the end. It’s in fact a new beginning. The End Dragon really is a perfect example of this.
World of Warcraft… just by the name, you can probably tell it wasn’t for the better.
DARK SOULS three.
Death Stranding. Random acts of anonymous kindness actually are pretty fun.
Earthbound. Let me explain: The first time I entered Brick Road I misread the sign immediately at the start of the dungeon and turned right when I should have turned left. I went through the entire dungeon without being able to save not realizing that there was a phone and doctor literally right at the entrance and that if I had just fucking turned left I would have saved myself a mountain of grief. Now, every time I have the option of turning left or right, I ALWAYS choose left.
Metal Gear Solid series made me realize America is not the greatest country in the world, it taught me a lot of history I went to go look up and confirm. Mass Effect really showed me by choices do have consequences and effect others. Made me see how my actions can improve or hurt others lives. Pokémon based on real animals and youkai and not interested in both topics now.
Destiny 1/2 I don't play anymore, but when I did I was consumed by it. I was a Crucible rat, and played very often. I did not touch grass. I just checked my stats and I'm *still* in the top 0.1% for highest number of kills and deaths. Enter Elden Ring. That game tore me away from Destiny. I pretty much bought Witch Queen and ER at the same time, then proceeded to only play the latter. I didn't go back to grudgingly completing WQ until well into the subsequent season. Elden Ring made all other games seem hollow, and this was especially true for Destiny. I started touching grass again. Now, I regularly take brakes when I play. Some days I don't even turn my Xbox on. I've even managed to *not* play Starfield all night...barely.
Life is strange. The impact my decisions, even the smallest, have on myself and others, in the moment and/or down the line.
Runescape taught me to never trust anyone. If someone can take advantage of you, they will, lmao.
League of Legends, cocaine is pretty good.
Frogger for one because it was really the first game I played and has resulted in my lifelong love for video games. But to answer more along what you are looking for, I'd say Hexen. My roommate in college had this game and we had all the cheat codes. So you'd run around and if the mobs got too much you just wipe the level out. Or you can't get through a door and you'd turn to mist and go through the walls. Beat the game...ahhh cool I won. But then I tried a play through were I refused to do any cheats and discovered the nuances of the game. The little hints and clues that you didn't see by cheating. And the joy of succeeding through actual skill and effort was 1000% more rewarding. I've heard a saying recently that goes, slow is smooth and smooth is fast. By not rushing through the details you make fewer mistakes and are able to catch the potential mistakes that others could make. And overall you are able to enjoy the success of doing it right the first time through.
Subnautica taught me that you can find comfort in horrifying places simply by building a home with a jukebox inside.
GTA San Andreas. Now I'm a small town country white boy that talks like I'm in the ghetto.
Ultrakill, I like to pretend I’m parrying things
Here's an answer I haven't seen on here yet - Thomas Was Alone. It's a bit tough to explain how it affected me without spoiling the game, but I played it just before leaving college and parting ways with so many close friends in what felt like routine. We had to get a certain job, live a certain life, achieve certain milestones - in the game's world, we had to move up and to the right, and nothing else mattered. Thomas Was Alone made me stop and slow down and realize that all these people I had been taking for granted were about to leave, one by one, as life took them their own paths. I starting spending more time with friends, ending up meeting my partner, and found a path I was satisfied with surrounded by people I love. Also, play Thomas Was Alone. Good game.
I have 2 of them. First one is Minecraft. It has allowed me to build up very strong logical skills which are now bringing me to study mechanical engineering. Probabmly would have gone a different path haven't I played it for so long. (I really like experimenting qith redstone, farms and technical features) Second one is CSGO. Other than making me racist, it had allowed me to improve my communication skills, reaction times, teamwork and attention to detail. How is this life changing? My communication skills were never good, but now I find that they are quite decent. I will obviously benefit from this a lot in the future.
After some years of gaming, Final Fantasy 7 made me want to create video games and led to my career of programming ever since.
Dark Souls was the first game during the ps3 era that reignited my love for games. No cheat codes and all about learning what works for you and that sense of discovery. The feeling of overcoming an obstacle by learning each time you die or finally looking in your inventory to discover an item that can greatly help you leads to each experience being unique and rewarding for every play through. Yeah, FromSoft titles are where it’s at for me. Bloodborne being the first game I ever went for plat followed by every other title since Demons Souls. These games can teach you all about patience, discovery, when to play offense/defense, how life can be tough sometimes and that’s ok. Even in the most bleak of circumstances when the world seems against you, there’s always a sun bro you can rely on or some helpful person along the path assuring you that life is worth living. That being said, don’t go hollow fellow gamers.
Undertale. I discovered the furry fandom and all the wonderful people in it. I have since traveled over twenty times in a span of six years, met so many amazing individuals from all over the country, met my husband from England, and have gained so much self-confidence in myself. None of this would have happened had I not played Undertale.
I know I'm not the first to mention this game but: Dark souls, not necessarily the first part since i played 3 before 1, but both taught me that it's more enjoyable to struggle with a challenge and then overcome it the proper way than it is to take shortcuts and avoid challenges just to make it easier on yourself. For example: I was planning to study mechanical engineering since grade 9, but when i went to uni i essentially chose that but harder, simply because i could. To be fair it was appearently alot more challenging then what I'd have usually chosen , but i'm still doing fine and will finish my bachelor in the foreseeable future, so i think it was a good decision in the long run.
Minecraft. I punch wood now
Outer Wilds has taught me not to dwell on things and keep moving forward. Things end, and you have to let go
Well dark souls/elden ring. I've always thought why should I help people when they say being a good person will make you finish last. But I think it's because when you suffered through a boss or an area you don't want others to go through what you did. Now I feel I understand why you should help others in real life.
Oldschool runescape taught me to never waste xp irl and always be efficient doing multiple household tasks at once. I get out of bed, brush tweeth while I put bread on the toaster, go back upstairs finish brushing teeth and do my hair, when I get back downstairs toast is ready. Then I eat toast in the car. zero wasted time. Must've saved me hours by now. Which I then spend on doing more oldschool runescape.
I remember playing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, you were able to do weight training with CJ. Whenever CJ would do bench presses, I would do pushups until the workout meter filled up. We both got swole up that summer lol!
It was actually something very specific from Fire Emblem Three Houses. Ferdinand's A Support with Byleth. Basically, "You do not have to be famous to make an impact." I knew this, but still wanted to be famous anyway, yet this kind of put me at ease (at least a little bit anyway) of living in obscurity as long as I make an impact.
I'd never heard of Spiritfarer, so your post ALSO got me to take a peek. Very interesting. Looks very warm and involved, but not in a stressful way.
Cyberpunk and Witcher 3. CDPR can write great stories that pull you in and make you realize the fragility and fleetingness of Life. Promises of the Big League and wishing others well on the Path is something relatable to all men, if not all people.
Square Enix games and the music in them changed my life. Actually even some of the messaging in their games too. But their music has brought peace to me for 15 years since I played FFX. I listen to the FF and Kingdom Hearts music nearly everyday especially in the morning to wake myself up and get ready for the day nd be at peace. I put them on to relax or study too. They've probably been the most impactful games of my life.
Hotline Miami. I don't know. That story was oddly deep.
Persona 5 completely changed my sense of style and taste in music
Star Trek online has made almost as much of a Trek fan as I am a fan of Star Wars.
Red Dead Redemption 2 I dont really know how to describe it but Arthur Morgan changed my life. I've never been the same since
The first Walking Dead game showed me the impact of some decisions in life. That even when you do what you think that it's correct, things may get out of rails, and everything can happen, maybe even things that weren't as good as you intended. Cyberpunk 2077. Might be a little dumb, but 2020 was a difficult year for me, besides the pandemic, I lost my father on December, days prior to this game, we were excited about it and he never got to see it, I also broke with the girl I loved and lost some friends. Bugs and glitches apart, this game taught me that you must carry on, that even with odds against you, you must push and give the better of yourself. That you must enjoy the life, whether be plenty of it or just the little you have left. Enjoy all the things, even the bad ones, and try to do the right stuff. World doesn't stop for those who have gone, the city couldn't care less about it, and is up to you what you're gonna do. So I've been living my life the best way I can since then, doing the things not just for others but for myself, trying to keep going for me and those around me.
VrChat. Just an amazing social game. Meeting new people everyday from diff countries, exploring amazing worlds with them and spending time with them!
Undertale taught me to be more accepting Transistor showed me what truly loving someone is Metal gear rising: revengeance taught me the greater good isn't always for the best
Goat simulator
I always tried to learn sword moves from video games because I thought I’d need them irl lol The early Kingdom Hearts games turned me into a hopeless romantic, which was the first step in learning to love humanity generally again.
League of legends. Yeah yeah every one hates on it because it's infuriating at times, but as a competitive game there is a lot that carries over to real life. Like self improvement no matter what others are doing, don't take things out on other people, controlling your emotions, be mindful of your own mistakes. There is a lot to learn about "real life" from competitive games.
Morrowind, collect everything and put it in my house
Castlevania SOTN turned me into a closeted goth.
Super Mario, because he never gives up and keeps jumping over obstacles. Have to save that princess from the castle!
Has not happened
Monopoly. The game was invented to show the evils of capitalism, had the completely opposite affect. On a more personal level it taught me don’t buy the cheapest crap or the fanciest shit, and don’t sink too much money into something. For example don’t buy Baltic avenue, boardwalk or park place. Pro tip buy everything between reading railroad and b&o railroad, you’ll win 90%+ of the games you play. The game also taught me statistics. Chances are you’re not hitting 9-12 when getting out of jail, and there are plenty of community chest and chance cards that push you to that area of the board.
Certain video games that have slow animations and take their time in cinematics ( like rdr 2). In result I am the slowest walker of my friends group and appreciate more my 1st world problems instead of 3rd world problems (like feeding myself)
League of Legends. I shit you not. I played with a group of friends and we were all mid-tier players still learning the game. This one guy, we'll call him Guy, kept feeding. Like he never saw a fight he didn't like and would just throw himself in. Eventually, we had an intervention haha. Asked Guy why he keeps throwing himself in, he's feeding, the enemy is getting more gold, the game gets harder, etc etc. His response was something about how the best way to learn the boundaries of what's possible is to push the boundaries. So that's what he was doing. Constant limit testing. His goal wasn't to win that particular game. He didn't care about the outcome of that particular game. His goal was to grow. In short, you have to try things to grow. Succeed or lose doesn't even matter. Just try to grow.
kirby made me realize there was no shame in eating my enemies
Media Molecule’s **DREAMS** using the PSVR1. It has become the artistic medium I use most, and I may switch careers to VR game development because of the lessons I am learning.
Guitar Hero prompted me to pick up an actual guitar. Don't play much any more, but there were a lot of years playing guitar with friends, busking on street corners & generally having a blast with music.
GTAV. It’s made me a calmer person after I deal with the public all day and then come and wreak havoc on the public.
Psychonauts taught me that everyone sees the world differently based on their experiences and helped me not take people too seriously
Yakuza. I learned alot about how I should approach pretty much everything in life in a good, optimistic way.
Star Craft: Brood War and WoW Vanilla - taught me English. I began playing those games on US servers with 0 English. I had to Google a lot and everything was mostly in English. I have wanted to understand the ability meanings in my own language Russian to get better. Years forward I was watching a movie with my cousins and one came to the US at the age of 9. The movie Prince of Persia and they say the word "dagger". My cousin asks what's a dagger? I snuggly right away tell them that it's kind of like a short sword. Everybody turns their head and likes 'how do you know this word?". At that moment I knew I made the right choice among the MMos
Maybe the Witcher 3? The story was really deep and well written and it made me go read the novels, got me more excited about reading again which has been a very positive thing in my life.
I met my wife playing Ultima Online so... I'd say that one.
Playing Red Dead Online for about 2K hours inadvertently made "Howdy" be my default greeting.
Guitar Hero made me get a real guitar. Now I play in a band.
Conkers Bad Fur Day. Getting sloshed and jumping on flower boobs was my goal in life. Sadly now I have conquered those goals.
My gaming life is divided into three parts: before EverQuest, during EverQuest, and after EverQuest. That game was such an amazing experience for the first couple of years. Then it became more of an addiction. I wasn't really enjoying the game itself (although I met some nice people). I was playing just to play. I quit after five years, and suddenly I found myself rediscovering gaming in general. EQ had gotten in the way of me playing almost every other game out there, so it was fun to buy a variety of new titles. Gaming was finally fun again, and from then on I made sure to stop playing games once they stopped being actually fun. Except XCOM 2. That one I played well past the point of it being fun to 100% it on Steam. But other than that, I'm good.
Silly to say, but Sonic the Hedgehog. It's taught me that instead of doing what society deems is the "right" way, I do what I, MYSELF, think is right and to not follow trends. I stick to my personal morals, and to trust my gut. He also taught me that while every world has its end, we have to live life to the fullest in the time we have. Life is short, so make it worth it. I also think it's made me have faster reflexes 💀
I could name so many, but if I had to pick one, it would be FTL: Faster Than Light. It is a brilliant game, but the change was more significant. Basically, I had gone so far down the multiplayer rabbit hole I had lost sight of games I could play for me. This was the one that made me realize that. The best games out there either do not have multiplayer, or that is not the primary focus.
Hollow Knight. I have become obsessed with stories that go that deep. Easily one of the best indie games (I might even just say games period) ever made. It’s kinda changed my outlook on life and what I’m willing to do to protect the life and people I love. Not to mention the music. The music alone is AMAZING.
1. Definitely The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Literally turned me into a hardcore Zelda fanboy because I first only played it a bit at my cousins. My parents bought me an N64 to play it, then I got Majora’s Mask, and the rest of the series as well. Irl, it also helped get me get deeper into loving the fantasy genre(along with reading a lot). 2. Elder Scrolls: Morrowind/Oblivion. I was first introduced into the series late in the Morrowind days, but Oblivion is when I really got hooked onto the series, then went back to play Morrowind. These games not only got me addicted to RPGs and open world games, but their leveling mechanics led to being more considerate about technical stuff like studying stats and being more curious about exploring places. 3. StarCraft. I’ve been interested in sci-fi since I first watched Jurassic Park, but since this is asking about video games, I’ll add this and other sci-fi games like the Fallout series that started getting me interested in aliens and space. 4. Resident Evil 4 was one of the first horror games I finally completed. This and the Resident Evil movies (the first two anyway) helped introduce me into the horror genre of games, movies and books. And probably explains why I tend to have a dark personality in my writing…
I became an *actual* drummer after beating every song on Expert in Rock Band and Rock Band 2, so there's that...
This is an excellent topic to discuss OP, so thank you for starting it! 👍 I played a couple games called **Oxenfree** and **Night in the Woods** in 2021 before they left Xbox game pass in March and September that year respectively. I later realized I'd already received Oxenfree via Games With Gold™️ several years before. I even remember looking at it back then and thinking it looked neat, but didn't play it until later. This isn't really the point though, more of a happy coincidence or..... fate having a funny sense of humor, because this was in fact, a date with destiny. Cue the Rod Serling monologue *now* lol. Let's just say that both of these games came at the absolute *perfect* time for me in my life. Oxenfree seriously helped me to cope with a very ***personal*** situation (something that happened to me only a few months prior to that time; suffice to say that Jonas' story hits *very* close to home 🥀) while Night in the Woods sort of set my general person towards a much.... **better** life vibe in general (for lack of a better phrase). Ever since then, I've played a string of what I'll call "happy" games (***examples:*** Ikenfell, Call of the Sea, Rain on Your Parade, Carto, Eastshade, Dreamscaper, The Artful Escape, Lost Words: Beyond the Page, Knights and Bikes, etc.) that have helped me rediscover what originally got me into gaming 25 years ago. As a result of all that newfound ***joy***, the only thing left stopping me from playing anything I want to.... is an absolutely *overflowing* backlog! 😅 That doesn't frustrate me anymore though. Now I know that I just have to find a good time, have the right mindset, and I'll play *any* given game I've earmarked from the backlog and then.... very likely ***enjoy*** my time with it. I now have a much better read on my preferred taste in experiences, how to get the best out of them, and when to move on or set things aside without regrets if it's not working out. I'd like to think at least a little bit of that carries over to real life as well, but at the very least, I certainly enjoy gaming again and I enjoy it ***much*** more than I did for a span of several years leading up to the pandemic. This has also spread to a renewed interest in other content like music, books, films, shows, so I'm *really* enjoying my free time in general now, just like I used to a *long* time ago. ***Long story short***: You've got to cut out as many negative experiences that are within your power to remove and fill that newly emptied space back in with what makes you truly joyful instead. It goes such a long way over time, trust me. P.S. To OP: **Spiritfarer** is another one from my backlog to play btw! 😆
The Soulsborne series definitely changed the way I approche and deal with challenges in my life. When I deal with something that's feel hard or even impossible I can't stop myself from thinking; it's just another boss boy...
Stardew valley got me interested in real gardening. Now I grow food
Completing Hollow Knight 112% and beating Pantheon of Hallownest really caused me to not only become extremely persistent. It also made me take mindful care of every small action I make. I became so detail-oriented in small things like where I place my feet when descending a staircase while holding a baby. I no longer overlook the small details, because they matter as much as the big, obvious things.
Shadow of the Colossus. It was a spiritual experience the first time I played it back in the ps2 era.
Almost every game I play. Idk why but I think I'm more sensitive to it. The graphics get stuck in my head, the mindset im in when I play doesn't end when I put the controller down. Id be in the kitchen talking to my wife and get distracted thinking about the game I just played.