I am a giant game maniac. This should not be a surprise. I love them and all their complex rules and intricate interactions. All forms of games make me feel great. From the ruthless trader instincts brought for in a game of "Settlers of Catan," to the movement crippling fear of "Amnesia: The Dark Descent." They are a constant in my life and they are one of the few things that never fail to excite me to the core. As a person suffering from depression a constant that can drag me from my brooding has always been helpful, and this is why I am going to endeavor to share some of my favorite game moments, and setting and anything at all that has peaked my interest and thrilled me in the last 20 years.
To start we are going to take a moment to talk about "Papers, Please." This game is set in the fictional Eastern European country of Arstozka, where you play as the new immigration inspector on the western border. This game is filled with absolutely fabulous moments where you have to make gut-wrenching choices about who you will and will not let into the country, and who you will and will not listen to as everybody tears at your loyalty, while you try desperately to ensure your family is housed and fed. This game has over 20 endings all dependent on what sort of person you are willing to be and there is great replay-ability. This game has a wonderful ability to show you yourself on a level that most people never look at, and that is why I find this game so intriguing. On a game play level the game consists of checking documents. That is all. All you do all game long is check documents against an ever increasing list of decrees and rules handed down by the Arstozkan Government. This makes the game so much more impressive, that with such a simple level of player interaction so much emotion and conflict and introspection can come of it. I love this game and think everyone should run out and buy it immediately.
There are many, many things I would love to talk about but it will have to wait for another time. Thank you all for reading.
That Maniac Gamer
