MY TOP THREE FAVORITE GAMES RIGHT NOW
Playing video games has been a part of my life since I was very young. I would plug in two controllers to our N64, boot up Mario Kart, and tell my younger sister to “pay attention to Yoshi, that’s who you are” knowing very well that it was a CPU player she was watching (oops. sorry to all the younger siblings this happened to). I guess you could say I took it seriously even at age 9. And to this day my love for gaming has just continued to grow. I’ll opt for a gaming night over watching TV most nights and even started streaming on Twitch a few years ago now with my partner, Cooper. I’ve expanded into trying all sorts of games, even venturing into the online multiplayer world (which I was initially terrified of) and got my first gaming PC a couple years ago where I spend most of my video game time. There are so many sides to it I love, but creating a gaming corner that feels like me and discovering the world of cozy games opened up a whole new world outside of the classic Mario I grew up with. There’s so much to explore, and truly, something out there for everyone — even the “non-gamers”. I put together a list of my gaming faves for this week’s blog post. From games to gear, here’s what I’m loving:
Unpacking
This cozy puzzle game was released in 2021, but I just played it for the first time recently and absolutely loved it! The title pretty much explains the game. Starting with what seems to be unpacking your childhood bedroom, you then continue to piece together the story as you unpack your way through different stages of life. This game surprised me in many ways. For starters, I wasn’t expecting that it would have me feeling all sorts of emotions. I found myself rooting for our offscreen protagonist and wanting to see them build a life they love. The developers hit story points through such unique ways of how you could place certain items. Truly an excellent and lovely game. If you love the satisfaction of placing things in just the right spot and look for a way to chill out, definitely give Unpacking a try.
Currently available on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Playstation
BunHouse
We played this on our Twitch a while back and honestly, it’s about as perfect as a cozy game can get. You get to be a cute bunny, grow some plants, and you can even play with friends! What’s better than being a cute tiny bun in a sun hat that grows monsteras? Not much if you ask me. This game is easy to pick up, and if you are a plant lover, it is a must. You can hop around and sell your plants for carrots so you can invest in your greenhouse business. You can even go fishing as your bunny! This game is currently only available on steam, but from what I’ve seen it should come to switch this year as well! If you want to see a preview from when we played, watch it here!
Currently available on Steam
Overwatch 2
Remember how I mentioned I was afraid of online multiplayer for a long time? I think that’s because I was afraid of what my skill set would be like in a team game environment and interacting on voice chat terrified me. That’s before I realized skill-based matchmaking was a thing and that I could easily mute everyone (lol). My first experience with a team based online game was Overwatch on PlayStation! I loved the world built around it, the pixar-esque characters, and the theatrical shorts giving backgrounds to the characters before even playing it. I loved that there were different roles to play from tank, to support (or healer), to DPS (aka your main goal is damage output) and that I could figure out what worked best for me. I even got into the e-sport league for a while when I was living in LA and matches were held there. When Overwatch 2 finally launched last year, I was no longer on Playstation, but my PC and it was a whole new experience playing on mouse and keyboard vs controller. I’ve been obsessed with playing it since. If you don’t know anything about Overwatch, to explain it as simply as I can, it’s an online multiplayer team-based shooter where you face different objectives and work together (in theory) to complete objectives and defeat the enemy team. There are many different game types in their arcade mode (including deathmatch), so you can switch things up anytime you want. They will also be releasing Player VS. Environment later this year which will dive deeper into lore of the Overwatch universe. For a first person shooter, this game actually has a lot of unique characters that don’t even use a gun, so don’t worry if you’ve never played something like Call of Duty before. This game has a lot of unique characters and something for everyone! But best of all? It’s free-to-play.
Currently available on Windows, Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo Switch
My gaming setup
If you’re curious about my whole PC setup, here are a few of my favorite items! Of course I had to get them in pink because I wanted my space to be both functional and cute. And the best part about a gaming setup is that you don’t have to get everything new all at once. You can use what you have and slowly upgrade various components.