VGC Day 12: It’s a Secret to Everybody

If you’ve missed a few days of our Video Game Challenge, you can catch up here!

Today, the video game challenge wants to know:

Day 12: What’s a game that everyone should play?

…Don’t say Dragon Age: Origins. Don’t say Dragon Age: Origins…

Backgammon. Seriously, everyone should play backgammon.

If you like strategy games, particularly strategy games that rely on the luck of rolling dice, play backgammon. I used to play this on the computer all the time when I couldn’t find anyone to play it with me. It’s absorbing like chess, but with the added element of luck-by-dice-roll.

That felt a little cheap, so here are a few other games that everyone should play:

Card Games

Hearts is certainly a fun game if you have access to four players (or, again, I learned to play on the computer). Again, a lot of strategy goes into getting a winning hand.

One that I used to play in high school during breaks from my orchestra rehearsals was Egyptian Rat Screw. It was so much fun, and things got crazy pretty quickly. Pro tip: take off your rings before playing!

A Tabletop Game That Isn’t Backgammon

I’m sure BadgersAndBowties and iplayedthegame have much better selections at their fingertips, but I quite enjoy Codenames from Czech Games. Imagine trying to get someone to pick the words “grease,” “senate,” and “country” from a pile of words, when you’re only allowed to say one word to describe all three. It’s amazing.

Video Games

…Don’t say Dragon Age: Origins. Don’t say Dragon Age: Origins…

…darn it.

This is actually hard, because other questions have dealt with “underrated games” and “best gameplay,” so I’m trying not to repeat (for once). There is also no accounting for the tastes of other people. How can I know a game that “everyone” should play?

Well, you’re over here at AmbiGaming, where we have the answers to all of your tough philosophical gaming questions.

You all know that I like story-driven games, all the more if it’s in some sort of fantasy setting. As I was looking through my collection for inspiration for a “game everyone should play,” though, I noticed some games that come from genres I usually don’t go for, like Destiny (first-person shooter), Demon’s Souls (dungeon-crawler/rage-inducing masochism), and Spec Ops: The Line (military shooter… sort of). I also noticed games like Journey and Folklore and InFAMOUS nestled happily amongst the titles on my shelf.

Destiny seems really interesting, even though I still get a little ill when I try to play it, and Demon’s Souls is infuriating but I haven’t given up on it yet. InFAMOUS was like playing in a comic book, which was fun. And… okay, I didn’t particularly care for Spec Ops, but that wasn’t because of the genre. I really enjoyed playing Journey, and Folklore was actually pretty interesting, except it requires a lot of reading that I can’t do that well on my television. But they all are/were great experiences, and I’m glad I picked them up.

With that in mind, I would say that everyone should pick up a game from a genre they don’t usually play and give it a fair shot. Whether it’s a board game, a card game, a text-based game (like A Firelit Room), a first-person shooter, a sporting game, an adventure game, or anything in between, pick it up and play it with an open mind.

That may sound like I need to go pick some daisies and sing “Kumbaya,” but you never know: you might find a whole new way you enjoy playing games!

Have you ever played an amazing game outside of your usual genre? Did it inspire you to play more games like it? Which do you think is a game that everyone should play? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for stopping by, and I’ll see you soon!
~ Athena

Is your subscription to our blog not enough? Do you want more AmbiGaming? Of course you do! So you should definitely check us out on Twitter @TheAmbiGamer or subscribe to follow our Let’s Play adventures on YouTube!