The above Ode to Garry’s Mod is a hilarious, silly and kind of moving tribute to one of the goofiest games in existence. Just watching it made me think of all the hours I’ve spent in the Source engine’s multiple iterations, from Garry’s Mod to Left4Dead and Counter-Strike. Without Garry’s Mod, we dudes at Smooth Few Films would have been unable to produce some of The Leet World’s stupider effects. It’s hard not to be grateful for that engine, and all the time I’ve spent exploring it for glitches, physics and lighting experiments.
So it got me thinking: what gaming experiences are you guys thankful for? From multiplayer to singleplayer, what experiences do you feel went beyond a hobby to something that actually played a big part in your life? Beyond Garry’s Mod, I’d have to say Mass Effect inspired my imagination more than almost any game in the last few years, and Halo gifted me with a way to stay in touch with all of my long distance friends.
What about you guys? What gaming experiences are you thankful for?
Mass Effect. The game that sparked my desire to work in video games. I was baffled as to how the story and world were so engrossing. After the completion of a yet another playthrough I came to a conclusion: I want to tell stories like these. I want to be a part of this. So here I am, in college learning how to get there, and I couldn’t be more excited.
There’s a long list – maybe I can whittle it down. The Legend of Zelda for providing the mysterious, bewildering world that wholly captured my imagination and ignited my brain with the possibilities of video games, without my ever playing it. Goldeneye/Super Smash Bros for enduring memories and the friendliest of bitter rivalries. The Dark Fall games for the perfect blend of immersion, escapism, and puzzling to help the wife and I slog through the most difficult time of our married life. And so many more…
There are two games I am incredibly thankful for. The first one is Braid. While I know it’s not a staff favorite, I found the game as a whole to be very intriguing. The way the story was weaved into the gameplay itself was unlike anything I had ever seen before, and the ending really made me feel like a bad guy. It was a little unbalanced, but Braid taught me that games can be something more; that we can tell greater stories through this medium than we realize.
The second game I’m thankful for is Mother 3. This game is memorable, charming, and fun, but it’s also the first game I’ve ever played that had emotion. I actually cried during the final battle. Mother 3 taught me that games can be deep and complex like Braid, but still be these unique and memorable experiences, just like a lot of the games we grew up on.
I think that these two games combined really opened my eyes to the potential of video games. A lot of people say that games as art doesn’t matter because they think that we just want elite acceptance or credit for these endeavors, but I think games as art *should* matter, because that concept opens awareness to the massive fields of untapped potential this medium has, whether for storytelling or just for some good old fun. Braid and Mother 3 taught me that games can be so much more, without losing their roots.
LoZ series. Basically all N64 games. Jak and daxter. They all just draw me into gaming so much, They get you away from everything but still depending on the game being there and having fun with friends.
There are a great many games that I’m thankful for because there have been so many games that have given me a new perspective. Halo showed me FPS can be done very well on console, Everquest showed me that scale shouldn’t be a boundary and most recently The Walking Dead showed me that story can be engaging and involving as any game mechanic.
On a side note, @Drell if you ever want any advice on getting into the industry I’ll gladly help. It’s an awesome industry to work in and the more people who want to join the better. That offer is open to anyone wanting to join the industry, I’m always willing to help people out with advice.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. Master difficulty with mods that make the world harder. I really loved that game for all the inmersion it brought in. That was a game that didn’t made me care about the plot and focused totally on the enviroment and gameplay. Dark nights, tense moments, survival. All of that push the player to make every decision an important one.
Bioshock Infinite
Mass Effect
Final Fantasy
Zelda; A Link to the Past
Super Mario World
There are a lot of single player experiences that I am grateful for, almost all mentioned above, but what comes to mind right now are the times I played with friends, or made friends playing games. Quake II 1v1 on PlayStation with my best friend (now of 15 years), TMNT: Turtles in Time and Super Mario Kart on SNES with my roomates when I first met them 5 years ago built some immediate bonds, But most of all, Counter-Strike, where I’ve got an amazing community of friends, made some helpful business contacts and even met my girlfriend of 2 and a half years, believe it or not. Not to mention that Counter-Strike led me to Leet World, which led me to Gamersushi and all you sweet dudes =).
I play Final Fantasy 7, 8 and 9 every year, such a huge part of my childhood. Crash Bandicoot 2, Metal Gear Solid. Timesplitters for the awesome multi-player and challenges. Bioshock(s), Tekken, and i have a soft spot for anything Kingdom Hearts.
Halo 3 Forge was pretty great.
Pokemon…
I think Journey would have to be up there for me. I found the end of that game to be so moving, and the seamless drop-in co-op just added to the experience.
Oh man, there are too many experiences that I’m thankful for to list. I guess the key ones would be growing up on Half-Life. At 8 years old I learned of a gaming lore that would become my most favorite of all time. It introduced me to Valve and the Source Engine. Countless rounds of Counted-Strike with friends. Team Fortress which taught me teamwork and playing objectively. The Smash Bros. series and the countless 99 man stock marathons with friends on the weekends. COD bring me into a great group of friends who just loved having financing together and other friends I made down the line from it. Great memories that still are being made from being a part of this awesome community 😀
EDIT: I meant gaming, not financing, haha. My bad.
Well I’d have to say Quake, Mario 64 and OoT are the earliest experience I am most thankful for. They were the games that got me into gaming.
Recently; my TF2 and League of Legends experience are the ones I’m most grateful for. They were the games that solidified my friendships with my friends in uni.
*There be spoilers ahead*
Red Dead Redemption had one of the biggest impacts on me of any game. The ride into Mexico, the trip to finally go and see your family and the scene where Marston is gunned down all affected me so much. It really solidified my love of gaming ‘experiences’ and proved to me that video game characters and story can have as much impact as any book or movie.
The Halo games have also given me some of my favourite co-op experiences. I’ll always remember the yelling and cheering that occurred while completing the vid master challenge ‘Deja Vu’ in ODST with 3 of my buddies from high school.