What We’re Playing is an occasional post from the Center for Games & Impact Innovation Lab highlighting fun and interesting games we’ve played recently, whether work-related or not. This month we will highlight games that our players thought might made good holiday gift ideas. In this first post check out game gift ideas for teens through adults who play on the PC or console systems. In our next few posts we will also make recommendations for younger players and mobile gamers.
**Note: Each game’s image is linked to the game or developer website where you can find more information about the game and purchasing.
A 2014 Favorite: Transistor (Steam, Mac, PS4)
Adam Ingram-Goble, CGI Director of Innovations, played the action roleplaying game, Transistor, this year and really enjoyed the experience. “Transistor is a sci-fi action game from Supergiant Games, the same studio that brought us Bastion (also a great game),” he says. “One of the things I love about Transistor is how it creates a playful narrative around programming and operating system concepts, such as processes, interrupts, and scheduling. As a result it is a beautiful role-playing game that leverages computational-thinking skills and knowledge to drive the action-strategy game mechanics. It is also relatively short, has a cute narrative, but it’s worth noting that it does include a traumatic ending.”
Recently Released: Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (Xbox, PlayStation, PC)
Michael Garcia, CGI Innovation Lab Designer, recommends the new generation, Call of Duty Advanced Warfare (CoD: AW), saying this edition added some new features that weren’t mind bending, but adds refreshing new dynamics for fans of the old Call of Duty formula. “The exoskeleton robotic system designed to make soldiers stronger, faster and heighten their reflexes on the battlefield allowed them to jump dash and sprint faster and higher then previous games,” he said. “This makes the game play a much quicker and an intense experience.”
Serious Gamer: Civilization 5 (PC, Mac)
Doug Woolsey, CGI Lead Game Designer, says Civilization 5 is the gift for new and experienced gamers, alike. He adds, “If the gamer in your life does not have Civ 5, they haven’t earned their gamer wings. It is an excellent strategy game with tremendous replayability and provides opportunities for players interested in exploring strategies not restricted to warfare. With excellent community support and a lot of extra content, Civ V is an experience into which a gamer can sink hundreds of hours.”
An Older Game for a Newer Gamer: Journey (PS3)
Graduate Student Fellow, Earl Aguilera, recommends Journey and recommends it for those that might be new to the world of gaming. He says, “My mind can’t help but go back to my first experience with Journey (Playstation 3) back in 2012. The game’s intriguing presentation, intuitive controls, and subtle, yet compelling storytelling blend beautifully to create a memorable experience for both experienced and first-time gamers alike.”
Revisiting a “Classic”: Portal2 (PC/Mac, Xbox 360, PS3)
Michael Springer, Contributing Blogger, also recommends a game that’s been around for a bit. He says, “for anyone who missed it when it was new, Portal2 is certainly worth tracking down. You wake up in the distant future, unsure of your past, and must make your way through an old research facility, solving puzzles to continue moving forward. While fun in single-player mode, Portal 2 includes a cooperative 2-player mode with a different set of puzzles from the single-player game. With recent console games, multiplayer often means playing with others online, but Portal 2 allows you to actually play with someone else in the same room as you. There is also very little violence, although the difficulty of the puzzles might not make this appropriate for very young.”
What games are you giving?
What did we miss that belongs on this list? Do you have a favorite game gift that you’re giving this year for the teen through adult audience? Please share the titles and a sentence or two about why you’re choosing to gift the game.