An Empty Feeling (and It's Unexpected Cure)

Image courtesy of Accidental Creative

As busy as my life can be, I still try to find time to sit down and enjoy some good old fashioned video games every chance I get. Problem is, lately I've chosen to do something else with my free time instead of play games. For some reason I can't explain, I've feel like I haven't been enjoying games as of late. And to be frank, that notion kind of shocks and astounds me.

Gaming is my biggest hobby, one that I've enjoyed since I was a kid. So it's strange to me that all of a sudden I just want to ... stop.

Does that mean I don't like video games anymore? No, of course not. Quite the contrary, in fact. To get to the bottom of all this, I took a look back at the previous gaming year and all of the games I played, particularly those I crammed into the holiday break. That's when it hit me.

I'm burned out on video games.

Problem was, even in recognizing this, I still couldn't pry myself away from Destiny or Far Cry 4, despite me getting bored or angry with them after a few minutes. I didn't want to play video games, but at the same time, I wanted to play video games (if that makes any sense).

In an attempt to cure this craziness, I dusted off my old Super Nintendo and popped in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. I started up a new game save and just played. For hours. After a while I moved away from the SNES and carried on with my life. When the time came to pick up games again, I flipped open my 3DS and carried on with Shovel Knight, a game I had been (unfortunately) neglecting. Again, I couldn't put it down. Suddenly, the love for I always had for video games was renewed, and all was right with my world again.

Seems the cure for my video game blues was firmly settled in old school sensibilities. Playing the SNES reminded me of why I love games in the first place, as did the brilliant retro-stylings of the amazing Shovel Knight.

So what's the point of all this? Well, it's two fold. Firstly, even someone who loves games as much as I do can get tired of them after a while. Secondly, it's always good to revisit the past. You never know what you may find there.

Playing those 16-bit games made me realize something. The video game industry is not as fantastic as you (or it wants you to) think it is. Game design has reached new heights, but also has forgotten its roots. As good as many games are today, they could be so much better. But how do we do that? Well, that's an answer for another day (and blog post!).

Best of 2014 - Honorable Mention

There were a ton of games that could just have easily made it onto my 'Best Games of 2014' list, but for one reason or another, they didn't. Games like Far Cry 4, Shovel Knight, Threes!, and Super Smash Bros. are all fantastic games that barely missed the cut. However, there is one game in particular that I want to talk about, so consider it a 'Honorable Mention' for my favorite games of the past year.

Monument Valley

Ustwo

iOS

I've never been too big on mobile gaming. I've always felt gaming was best when experienced on a television screen with a controller in your hands. Playing games on a smartphone or tablet just felt off to me, as I always felt that the only way a video game could provide a deep and meaningful experience was on a console or PC. Then along came Monument Valley.

Monument Valley is a puzzle game based around the simple concept of guiding little Princess Ida from one point to another. But it's not that simple. Ever see a MC Escher painting? Monument Valley's ten levels are based around the twisting and warped perspectives of the classic painters works. In order to solve each puzzle you have to bend and move your surroundings to create new and unexpected paths for the little princess to traverse. In addition to it being one of the most visually and artistically stunning games I've seen on any platform, Monument Valley has some of the best "aha!" moments I've seen in any game, puzzle or otherwise, since Portal 2. It's short but so very sweet, and is designed perfectly for mobile devices (though I do recommend playing it on a tablet) and you can finish it in one sitting, or break it up into multiple play sessions.

Above all else, I think the best thing Monument Valley provided me was a new perspective on mobile gaming. It showed me that really entertaining and deep gaming experiences could occur on phones and tablets, and they weren't exclusive to consoles or PC. I found myself drawn to Monument Valley's lush world and mind-bending puzzles more than some other, bigger games that released in 2014. If you have $4 and a capable mobile device, I highly suggest giving Monument Valley a shot. It's fun, lovely to look at, and is more than worthy of attention from gamers of all kinds (even grumpy old mobile nay-sayers like me).