StaceyPowers

For those that work, if you didn’t have to, would you game more each day or the same amount of time?

What is something you enjoy in video games more than IRL, other than the obvious thing of brutal combat? Like, gardening is satisfying to me in Skyrim, and makes me think I could get into it IRL, and then I think about trying, and I’m just like “nope, too much work/too intimidating.”

What quality or characteristic do you tend to appreciate in a game that a lot of people despise? Like, I like games with low player agency, and a lot of people do not. I also often appreciate ludonarrative dissonance, and some folks hate it. Lots of side quests are another positive for me that are a negative for many other gamers.

What is most motivating to you in a video game? Completing quests? Gaining XP? Getting items? Discovering lore? Getting trophies? Progressing a storyline? Delight at solving a puzzle? Helping a character? Exploration? What drives you forward the most?

I think games can hypothetically make awesome holiday gifts. But since they are sometimes a huge time investment, I think they only make sense if one knows exactly what is on someone’s wishlist, and/or it is something small and cheap. Gift certificates are better. Thoughts?

I just learned about this weird thing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incremental_game Games that play themselves. This seems quite bizarre to me, but maybe I do not have the context for understanding it. Does anyone play these? What is the appeal?

So, I’ve been having Mazoga follow me around in Oblivion for a very long time, and now her armor is gone. She still has pants, but no chestplate and no boots. Why did this happen? Did it just break? Is there any way of fixing it on PS3?

Some in-game locations stick with you forever. Others, you forget almost as soon as you are out of them. What makes a location memorable?

What are some random facts you only learned about because of games you played? Like, playing TLOU 2 made me learn about this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_king

With any game series, we kind of expect new enemies to be introduced with each instalment. Sometimes they’re great; other times they feel like a letdown. What makes a great new enemy in a series?

Perfect choice, @DC! Congrats, @The Blackangel, you are going to be marvelous. And thanks again @Shagger for everything you do. All three of you are awesome, and have made this the place I feel most welcome and at home online 🙂

I don't know! I mean, does anything happen after he's dead? Funny as hell though.

Oh! It can vary a lot. It depends on how much video game content I write on any given month, which varies with VGR's demand. I freelance in other niches as well to keep my overall income stream consistent.

Each Dragon Age game has involved different issues in Thedas, so inevitably the series has shifted focus away from some things. Are there any plot threads that you would like the series to loop back around to? I wish the Architect would come back.

Has anyone here played any Sam & Max point and click games? I was just remembering one I played many years ago fondly.

I recently learned that some people really hate that their PlayStations beep on startup. I never even thought about it. If you have a PlayStation console, does the beep annoy you?

Are there any classic games you think would be interesting to remaster or remake into a VR format?

Has 2021 been a satisfying year in gaming?

What are some games that were overall very good, but had what you felt was one simple fatal flaw that could have been easily fixed?

I’ve noticed that it is common for gamers to struggle initially to get into games that have no structure—no quests or missions and/or quests and missions exist, but are not compelling or the point of the game. Like Minecraft or No Man’s Sky. Do you find this is true for you?

When games are ambiguous about what you are meant to be doing in the moment (like the very next thing you need to get done), does it annoy you, or do you see it as a fun challenge? Is it context-dependent?

Does it annoy anyone else that in a lot of open world games, it is common for NPCs to forget completely about one quest line you did with them while doing another? (i.e. they act like you’ve never met and they again do not trust you?)

What video game quests can you think of that had a lot of buildup, and then were totally anti-climactic at the end?

Neither. I don't feel I have enough information to make a confident assessment of what went on there. Can you clarify?

What are some games that had really misleading trailers that misrepresented the content of the game?