Ahhh, video games. My number one distraction from homework. My number one detachment from interpersonal relationships. My number one point of disappointment from my parents. Believe it or not, however, video games do bring more to the table than just that little serotonin boost from beating a level, scoring an achievement, or absolutely dunking on your friends. Yes, reader, I tell you that we have come a long way from the days of the Atari where absolutely nonsensical garbage like E.T. was marketed and forced down the gullets of customers. Video games have evolved as a medium, its expressions of creativity and artistry matching that of any other form of media. So if your professor is giving you grief for staying up too late and not doing any of the assigned reading, maybe give some of these games a whirl so you can explain how you are, in fact, expanding your worldview and engaging with philosophies in an interactive field! There’s something for everybody on this list, and you can find all of these games in the UW Bothell / Cascadia College Library game collection located on the first floor across from the Course Reserves Textbook section near the lobby (here’s a link to our page about the collection). By no means is this a comprehensive or exhaustive list, the collection features hundreds of games! If you see your favorite omitted from here, do not fear or think that I am disparaging your choice. There’s a good chance I like that game, too! 😁
Mass Effect series — Xbox, Playstation
Because this is my article and I have a platform to preach my own biases, I am going to start with my favorite game series of all time; Mass Effect. A space opera of epic proportions, Mass Effect is sure to itch the scratches of any lovers of Star Trek, RPGs, shooters, and romance. Players take control of Commander Shepard, a space marine, tasked with saving the galaxy from the threat of the enigmatic Reapers, a machine race whose threat has not been seen for fifty thousand years. How Shepard tackles this (and how Shepard is represented; the game has a very in-depth character creator!) is ultimately up to the players. The series is well known for its conversation and morality systems, where players choose how Shepard interacts with characters and decisions presented to them. These interactions and decisions end up having long term effects on the series, with save files actually carrying across all 3 installments, creating a cohesive narrative directed by the player. Players will find themselves falling in love (both in real life and in game) with their crew-mates and in awe of the vast worlds they can explore across the galaxy. Very few games out there give the player this much agency over the story and world they create. You can reserve a copy of the first game from Suzzallo and Allen, while the second and third games can be found in the UW Bothell / Cascadia College Library game collection on the 1st floor!
Tags: Sci-fi, space opera, single player, RPG, action, dialogue heavy, LGBTQ+
Portal 2 — Xbox
“All right, I’ve been thinking, when life gives you lemons, don’t make lemonade! Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don’t want your damn lemons! What am I supposed to do with these? Demand to see life’s manager! Make life rue the day it thought it could give Cave Johnson lemons! Do you know who I am? I’m the man whose gonna burn your house down – with the lemons!”
Portal 2‘s dialogue and narrative contain just as much wit and smarts as is required to crack the mind-bending labyrinth of puzzles found in the abandoned facilities of Aperture Science. Equipped with a portal gun that operates exactly as advertised, players must get creative to make it through each level. You can take on the single player campaign, accompanied by the nervous robot Wheatley (voiced by Stephen Merchant) and evil AI-turned-potato GLaDOS (voiced by Ellen McClain). Alternatively, grab a friend and play through the co-op campaign as bipedal androids ATLAS and P-Body. The physics of the portals as well as other substances in the game make it a blast to play, and the level design displays the creativity and thought put into this unique adventure. Plus, it’s developed by local games giant Valve! Show that Pacific Northwest pride! Portal 2 can be found in the UW Bothell / Cascadia College Library game collection.
Tags: Puzzle, single player, co-op, sci-fi, comedy
Super Mario Odyssey — Nintendo Switch
With The Super Mario Bros. Movie entering movie theaters, there’s never been a better time to don the red cap and hop on some goombas! On the same shelf as Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse, Mario has enjoyed widespread fame and has embedded his moustachioed visage into the fibers of pop culture. Super Mario Odyssey is the latest entry in the storied franchise that features the red plumber on a global trek across several kingdoms to stop the Koopa King, Bowser, from marrying Peach! This is a must play for any fans of the franchise or well polished platformers. The intercontinental caper sees a diverse range of level designs, full to the brim of charm and wonder, and a bevy of new mechanics breathe fresh air into the Mario formula.
Tags: Platformer, single player, vibrant, all ages
The Last of Us — Playstation
If you’ve been watching the hit HBO series, consider giving the source material a run! While Pedro Pascal’s beautiful smile does not grace the screen here, the emotional storytelling and intense action are just as present. A truly cinematic game experience.
Tags: Post-apocalyptic, story, single player, action, survival
Persona 5 — Playstation
The latest installment in the best-selling JRPG series, Persona 5 is a nuanced adventure chronicling a group of high school students who have awakened supernatural abilities through physical manifestations of their psyches, their titular Personas. Together, known as the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, the students become vigilantes exploring the Metaverse, a place born out of the subconscious desires of humankind, to steal the evil from within adult’s hearts. Give Persona 5 a go if you’re interested in exploring both a modern-day Tokyo and fantastical realms, a story built on your interpersonal relationships that you develop as the player, love Pokemon, or want a game with the funkiest soundtrack around!
Tags: Anime, RPG, single player, story, jazz fusion
Uncharted series — Playstation
From the creators of The Last of Us and Crash Bandicoot, the Uncharted series is a must-play for any fans of high-octane, blockbuster adventures! Players take on the role of Nathan Drake, an infamous treasure hunter, as he treks the globe plundering the spoils of Marco Polo and El Dorado and earns the ire of a many other treasure hunters and bandits. Channeling the feeling of Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider, this series has it all; betrayal, romance, and guns a-blazing.
Tags: Action, adventure, single player, cinematic
Fallout: New Vegas — Xbox
A transgressive look at a post-nuclear war America, the Fallout series has always offered deep political commentary on the nature of democracy, capitalism, and xenophobia. Perhaps the most sophisticated installment of the modern era, Fallout: New Vegas takes players into the Mojave Wasteland, where the titular New Vegas is warred over between the New California Republic, the imperialistic Caesar’s Legion, and the enigmatic businessman and proprietor of the New Vegas strip Mr. House. Fallout: New Vegas takes players through a story where greed is a savage force and they must determine whether to play it straight or load the dice.
Tags: RPG, post-apocalyptic, dystopia, hardcore, dialogue-heavy
Journey — Playstation
A prime example of what games as a creative medium is capable of, Journey takes players on, well, a journey through a vast desert littered with ruins of civilizations that once were, haunted by loneliness and isolation. This quiet and melancholic tale is full of eye candy, and asks gamers to ponder the world around them as they wander the vast dunes before them. If you have a PlayStation Network account, other players can actually be placed into your game where you can explore together. While you cannot communicate with this other player, there is something to be said about sharing a moment with a stranger.
Tags: Single player, adventure, casual, vibrant
Life Is Strange — Xbox
Set in an idyllic seaside Oregon town, Life Is Strange is an episodic adventure game where the story centers on 18-year old Max Caulfield and her discovery of the incredible ability to rewind time. Max finds out that every decision of hers creates a butterfly effect, as players take control of her actions and witness their unfolding in the narrative with emotional consequences. This is a must-play for anybody a fan of interactive storytelling in games, as well as fans of young adult fiction.
Tags: Single player, choose your own adventure, young adult, LGBTQ+
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice — Playstation
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice offers gamers one of the most accurate and respectful depiction of psychosis in media to date. Taking on the role of titular Senua, in a Norse and Celtic inspired dark fantasy, players are tasked with traveling the depths of Helheim to save the soul of her dead lover from the goddess Hela. A unique blend of puzzles and combat, Senua must survive tests of strength and intellect, as well as boss encounters with gods and creatures alike, all while managing a “curse” of voices and illusions.
Tags: Action, adventure, single player, puzzles, psychological horror
BioShock — Xbox
No Gods or Kings. Only Man. Embroidered on a blood-red banner under the menacing visage of tycoon Andrew Ryan, BioShock‘s city of Rapture makes its ideals viscerally known at its front gates. This city, an underwater art-deco hellscape, is home to an essentially abandoned civilization where genetically-modifying drugs harvested through parasites implanted into orphans have warped its citizens into super-human monsters. If that doesn’t paint the picture vivid enough, I don’t know what will. Simply one of the most transgressive shooters in history, as the game touts a sophisticated RPG leveling system that gives players a suite of abilities like telekinesis or pyrokinesis. Play this one for a scathing take on Ayn Rand-ian philosophies!
Tags: Shooter, single-player, RPG, dystopic fiction, political commentary, body horror