contextualizing play

[@Novakun]

my brother in Christchurch I never thought I would hear about ultimate masters 2006 ever again, good times

[@jamesvonderhaar2553]

On Christmas Day 2014, I received a PS4 and a copy of Destiny as a Christmas present. When the game had launched, a few months earlier, I was still in my third or fourth stint in rehab for an alcohol addiction that I'd been battling for the better part of a decade. One of the unexpectedly positive parts of growing into your sobriety is trying to find ways to have fun, socialize, and do hobby stuff without using your preferred drug. I would have adored Destiny regardless, but in the context of my life at that point, it was exactly what I needed. It was a social space where I wasn't just a few feet away from a relapse, doing something that wasn't self-consciously sober, with people who were around my age, and had the same interests. I made friends who I'd never shared a drink with and who really didn't care about my sobriety status one way or another. Instead of spending Saturday nights fuming about all the fun I wasn't having I was sherpa-ing newbies through the Vault of Glass or finally celebrating that Gjallahorn drop I'd been chasing for months. I think the context around a lot of MMORPGs and similar games is one of guilt, of devoting too much time to a game and even to a group of friends that aren't that 'important,' and might cause you to neglect more important responsibilities, which I think is a real shame. When put in their proper context, I think they have a lot to give to the world.

[@itcouldbelupus2842]

I got Elden Ring last month, been taking my time playing it, loving every minute. But last week there was drama in my flat and now we're all moving out, there's a lot of stress and tension in my life. Playing Elden Ring in this context is exhausting, it requires more than I'm willing to give right now. So I switched to No man's Sky for a more relaxed vibe and some true escapism. I know exactly what you are talking about, great video.

[@gaycosmichorror]

"a tranquil game is a game that you can play while listening to a podcast." looking up from powerwash simulator: huh?

[@3qui1i6riM]

This is genuinely one of my favorite commentary videos on KZbin. Love this. Keep it up!

[@chaocolide]

I TELL you that you are going towards a million subs PRETTY soon. Keep doing new things, even as a hobby, and we really enjoy your videos! Keep it up.

[@kaas3530]

5:07 actually crts could reach surprisingly high resolutions. Some crts monitors from 1988 could reach 1080p res

[@VIP-ry6vv]

The legend of Zelda set the stage, Link to the past set the scale. Ocarina of Time came to us as boys and Majora's Mask made us men. But.... Zelda II will always be the guilty favorite.

[@QuestingRefuge]

Love seeing this discussed! I think about this a lot when I select games to play. I always try to have one tranquil game and one game that is more focused. It's why I tend to like certain genres of games because they tend to be more accessible for my life.

[@mberrios1875]

I think this is a really interesting idea and it's really made me think about the contexts behind the games I've played! Great work.

[@LordSazerac]

John Carmack coded Quake on an 1080p CRT monitor in 1995.

[@benzur3503]

Flexible game speed really is an interesting aspect of design

[@Heeroneko]

I was so fuckin spoiled. My first 3D game was FF7. Broke my little brain. The awe I felt seeing that beginning cutscene when I'd NEVER seen 3D before...FF8 hit me hard too when it came out. I miss the PSX era some days. Ah, nostalgia.

[@CriFei]

just found your channel, i can't believe you're not more popular! Keep up the good work :)

[@gorimbaud]

your ace attorney tier list puts aj and gaa2 in s, therefore it is correct. one day i'll replay the first three games without getting distracted and thinking "what if i just replayed aj instead", but it hasn't happened yet. anyway i played all the first four and handheld, and aj is still the best one, so idk if the context would change that much. then again, the first three were made for gba (except case 1-5, which was added for the ds port), while aj was the first full game to be designed for ds, so that can change how they compared to each other at the time, but nowadays you're also comparing aj on ds to the hd remaster of the first three, which i have not played yet.

[@Heeroneko]

I've got ADHD and for me stuff like Vampire Survivors is intense full hyper focus flow state. oOo

[@itcouldbelupus2842]

I think there are game reviewers on KZbin who are pretty bad because of the context they play games in. Their recommendations are based solely on their own enjoyment but they play games for a job, trying to do almost everything in the game, forcing themselves to push through unenjoyable experiences. I think this leads to them being too hard on mediocre games because they turned it into a slog and to not give some games a fair chance because they were just trying to get through it to get the review out.

[@Zift_Ylrhavic_Resfear]

Thanks for the video :)

[@Chariot_Rider]

I think Factorio is a game where the context is working against it for me. All evidence points to the fact that I would adore Factorio. I love engineering games like Infinifactory and Last Call BBS, big complex games are fascinating, the game has a reputation for getting people utterly addicted, and I already own it. But, for some reason I haven’t played it all that much. I think context is certainly to blame. With my busy college schedule, I often go over a week between play sessions of other games, so when I have the time I find myself drawn to the campaign based games I want to finish up, such as Disco Elysium. Whenever I play Factorio I do feel the rush of solving problems, and I know that would be dangerous for me so I think I intentionally put up some distance to keep my life together. One day, the context will change and Factorio will rise and become an all time classic. Until then, it’s a neat game I have a few hours in

[@Azure9577]

Try mindustry, its like factorio but combined with tower defence and RTS

[@DrRESHES]

If it ever crosses my mind to get a Steam Deck, i will play Yu Gi-oh! The Eternal Duelist Soul as my first game, this is so easy to abuse. I played it only on pc.

[@Lazypackmule]

I am an enlightened centrist, everyone is stupid but me- Ocarina mid

[@everything-narrative]

Yugioh 2006 was fucking dope tho.

[@katmannsson]

Im team "Ocarina Mediocre well veiled half hearted remake of Link To The Past that crammed the franchise into a rut for 20 years"

[@katmannsson]

basically what Im saying is I have a Love-Hate relationship with this game because its one of my earliest memories, but also Link To The Past is my favorite Zelda and I feel like the franchise was very Paint By Numbers between OOT and SS only returning to proper form with BOTW