Video Game Design/Developers

@Brian, never got into magic but played Hearthstone religiously for years. In general I enjoy TCGs, although I prefer them digitally as I don't like to accumulate stuff. BG3 is also on my list, but I promised myself I'd do one open-world game at a time, which, right now, is Fallout: New Vegas. I am also a fan of Final Fantasy though I find the games further and further down my backlog as new, amazing games keep coming out.

@Brendan I love board games as well but how in the world do you have time to play them during lunch?! My lunch is 34 minutes long, closer to 25 when you factor in how long it takes to walk to and from a communal space to eat. My department coworkers and I do have a separate gchat group to post our Connections scores every day and discuss the puzzle, though :)

@Owen I only played the demo for Cult of the Lamb but I saw it as a black humor roguelike where you play an obvious bad guy. Did not read much more into it than that but your perspective has made me think I ought to take a closer look. Maybe I will pick it up next time it's on sale.

I myself, in addition to FNV, am currently working on Shadow of Mordor, Dark Souls (my 4th playthrough), and Hollow Knight. I'm also an old-school Halo player, and have been enjoying the Halo 2 throwback stuff they've been doing this month in Halo Infinite.

Most of what I play is just taking things off of a very long backlog, however I do have to recommend Zachtronics. They (he?) are a game company that makes games about programming/learning. That description does not come close to doing them justice, though--they are way more engaging than most edutainment games. And they are hard!! I have not finished any of them to 100% completion (without a guide, of course). I try to use them for extra credit, filling in random half days/time before long breaks, etc.

I also have to recommend some games that are not about programming, but deal heavily with various topics tangential to computer science:

• The Talos Principle is a puzzle game that I can't say much more about without spoiling, but is really philosophical and made me think more than probably any other game has.
• Soma is a horror game exploring what exactly consciousness is.
• Detroit: Become Human is a high-budget game about AI/androids gaining consciousness.
• Horizon: Zero Dawn is also hard to talk about without spoiling the story, but I can say the robot dinosaurs are more important than just looking cool.
• Lastly, I have to give a mention to Final Fantasy XII. While not really about computer science, this game does let you "program" your party members to battle for you (basically a big chain of if statements) and was really my first introduction to programming, as we did not have CS classes in my high school.

I've also heard good things about Nier: Automata, but haven't played it myself.

@Brian, never got into magic but played Hearthstone religiously for years. In general I enjoy TCGs, although I prefer them digitally as I don't like to accumulate stuff. BG3 is also on my list, but I promised myself I'd do one open-world game at a time, which, right now, is Fallout: New Vegas. I am also a fan of Final Fantasy though I find the games further and further down my backlog as new, amazing games keep coming out.

@Brendan I love board games as well but how in the world do you have time to play them during lunch?! My lunch is 34 minutes long, closer to 25 when you factor in how long it takes to walk to and from a communal space to eat. My department coworkers and I do have a separate gchat group to post our Connections scores every day and discuss the puzzle, though :)

@Owen I only played the demo for Cult of the Lamb but I saw it as a black humor roguelike where you play an obvious bad guy. Did not read much more into it than that but your perspective has made me think I ought to take a closer look. Maybe I will pick it up next time it's on sale.

I myself, in addition to FNV, am currently working on Shadow of Mordor, Dark Souls (my 4th playthrough), and Hollow Knight. I'm also an old-school Halo player, and have been enjoying the Halo 2 throwback stuff they've been doing this month in Halo Infinite.

Most of what I play is just taking things off of a very long backlog, however I do have to recommend Zachtronics. They (he?) are a game company that makes games about programming/learning. That description does not come close to doing them justice, though--they are way more engaging than most edutainment games. And they are hard!! I have not finished any of them to 100% completion (without a guide, of course). I try to use them for extra credit, filling in random half days/time before long breaks, etc.

I also have to recommend some games that are not about programming, but deal heavily with various topics tangential to computer science:

• The Talos Principle is a puzzle game that I can't say much more about without spoiling, but is really philosophical and made me think more than probably any other game has.
• Soma is a horror game exploring what exactly consciousness is.
• Detroit: Become Human is a high-budget game about AI/androids gaining consciousness.
• Horizon: Zero Dawn is also hard to talk about without spoiling the story, but I can say the robot dinosaurs are more important than just looking cool.
• Lastly, I have to give a mention to Final Fantasy XII. While not really about computer science, this game does let you "program" your party members to battle for you (basically a big chain of if statements) and was really my first introduction to programming, as we did not have CS classes in my high school.

I've also heard good things about Nier: Automata, but haven't played it myself.

I'm extremely late on this but I still play a variety of stuff.  It keeps my mind clear and helps release the stressors.

Recent games that I've been working through Neva (by the creators of Gris, one of the most outstanding narrative games without voice acting).  Playing a lot of Satisfactory, it keeps me chill as I destress.  The 1.0 release has been incredible, the writing is well-written and darkly funny.

Also for other fixes, playing Dead Cells, Windblown, and Astral Ascent as roguelike action platformers.  I've also played some AfterImage which is surprisingly a decent metroidvania.

Playing board games any chance I get.  The Dead Cells board game has been outstanding.  

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Nate Walker k12teacher
Riverside CA
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I'm extremely late on this but I still play a variety of stuff.  It keeps my mind clear and helps release the stressors.

Recent games that I've been working through Neva (by the creators of Gris, one of the most outstanding narrative games without voice acting).  Playing a lot of Satisfactory, it keeps me chill as I destress.  The 1.0 release has been incredible, the writing is well-written and darkly funny.

Also for other fixes, playing Dead Cells, Windblown, and Astral Ascent as roguelike action platformers.  I've also played some AfterImage which is surprisingly a decent metroidvania.

Playing board games any chance I get.  The Dead Cells board game has been outstanding.  

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Nate Walker k12teacher
Riverside CA
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Also Deadlock, even though I'm bad (I'm probably above average in MMR but I get stomped regularly, so who can say?)

Other Board/Card Games: Schadenfreude, Scout, Can't Stop, Slay the Spire, and Hegemony.

Schadenfreude is a unique twist on trick-taking of trying to score points and not take points.

Scout is a master in it's class of card shedding.

Can't Stop is classic masterpiece from Sid Sackson.

Slay the Spire is a great implementation of the video game and it works well.

Dead Cells is a great implementation of the video game as well and surprisingly the combat feels fast and furious just like the game with a clever combat system.

Hegemony is a high quality, deep, strategic game about managing classes as they struggle against each other.  The State, Capitalists, Middle Class, and Working Class all push and pulling to get their way in thematically relevant game mechanics.

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Nate Walker k12teacher
Riverside CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 11-21-2024 10:15
From: Nate Walker
Subject: Wednesday Discussion - Games

I'm extremely late on this but I still play a variety of stuff.  It keeps my mind clear and helps release the stressors.

Recent games that I've been working through Neva (by the creators of Gris, one of the most outstanding narrative games without voice acting).  Playing a lot of Satisfactory, it keeps me chill as I destress.  The 1.0 release has been incredible, the writing is well-written and darkly funny.

Also for other fixes, playing Dead Cells, Windblown, and Astral Ascent as roguelike action platformers.  I've also played some AfterImage which is surprisingly a decent metroidvania.

Playing board games any chance I get.  The Dead Cells board game has been outstanding.  

------------------------------
Nate Walker k12teacher
Riverside CA

One other new addition I'm playing is Little Kitty, Big City. I played through Stray last year and LOVED IT. LKBC is similar to Stray in that you move as a cat through a world, but it's NOT a dystopian future and much cuter. I'm not far but when I wanted something light and easy and fun and cute, I played it.

A friend who lives in France was visiting and he's a big gamer, he got me to purchase HellDivers 2. He plays online coop and wants to play with me as his game time and time difference matches when I often play. We're going to try to find folks to play with if anyone is playing HellDivers.

It's not generally the type of game I like to play, but I also NEVER play online coop and really need to try it. I feel way out of step with my students in that I'm not playing socially almost at all so I want to see how it all works.

Yeah, I am really trying to push myself to play a bit more new stuff just to stay in the know a bit more. It's just rough between dad life and working on my game.

One other new addition I'm playing is Little Kitty, Big City. I played through Stray last year and LOVED IT. LKBC is similar to Stray in that you move as a cat through a world, but it's NOT a dystopian future and much cuter. I'm not far but when I wanted something light and easy and fun and cute, I played it.

A friend who lives in France was visiting and he's a big gamer, he got me to purchase HellDivers 2. He plays online coop and wants to play with me as his game time and time difference matches when I often play. We're going to try to find folks to play with if anyone is playing HellDivers.

It's not generally the type of game I like to play, but I also NEVER play online coop and really need to try it. I feel way out of step with my students in that I'm not playing socially almost at all so I want to see how it all works.