On the Third Day of Blogmas…

Merry Blogmas!

We are back with out chorus of bloggers, singing our own version of “12 Days of Christmas.” Instead of leaping lords and turtle doves, we’ll be giving you 364 great gaming and blogging gifts. Check out our previous days, too, if you’re just joining us!

Thanks to OverthinkerY, LightningEllen, The Gaming Diaries, Shoot the Rookie, and Later Levels for striking the harp and joining the chorus!

And now, without further ado…

(To the tune of “12 Days of Christmas”):

On the third day of Blogmas, the gamers said to me:

What are 10 reasons you’d play a game? (and link to 11 games you love, and don’t forget to link to gaming memories!)

Only ten? Okay, here we go…

1. An interesting or unexpected story. I like my video games the way I like my novels: not brain-breakingly difficult to understand, but compelling enough to hold my attention despite any flaws the game might have.
2. Good characters are a must… it might be a great story, but if the main character is a dud then I’m not interested. Bonus points if I’m still thinking about the character way after the fact.
3. Responsive or consistent controls are a bonus. I’ve been spoiled by games like Shadow of Mordor with how the game handles and how responsive the controls are, but if they are overall intuitive and responsive, I’m going to like it. No hiding behind artistic merit; games should be easily controllable, at least in that sense.
4. It’s made by BioWare. I’m not even sorry.
   
5. A friend recommends it to me after playing it. I tend to take recommendations seriously, especially if they go beyond “It’s great.” Tell me what you liked about it, and I’ll give it a play, time permitting.
6. It has interesting themes that I am interested in exploring, or are particularly unique. This would be games like Walden or RiME, which take some interesting concepts and turn them into a game, or, perhaps for a better descriptor, and interactive experience. Games like Detroit: Become Human or even Until Dawn also fall into this category.
7. It’s in a series I enjoy. Yep, another easy one. If I like the series, there is a very good chance I will pick up and play the next game in the series.
   
8. I can play it on a Playstation console or a Nintendo console of the Wii generation (or earlier). Sadly I never got into Xbox, so if the game is only on Xbox, it is going to get a pass from me.
9. Another petty reason, and it’s not a sure-fire way to get me to play your game, but if there is a dragon on the cover I will probably at least pause and look at it.
10. I’ve played it before and liked it. Yes, my wonderful readers, I am a creature of habit; if I liked doing something once, I will want to do it over and over and over again…

I could go on, but what about you? What are your top reasons for playing a game? Are there any (conceptual) games that you would instantly want to play, no questions asked? Let me know in the comments!

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

Do you like what you’ve read? Become a revered Aegis of AmbiGaming and show your support for small creators and for video games as a serious, viable, and relevant medium!