As I played more, I had this realization: this game is remarkably similar to coding. I’m trying to optimize repetitive tasks (functions), and enable processes to build off one another (composition). And there are literal freaking bugs that you have to squash, to prevent them from messing up your hard work.
It’s been a long while since I’ve played “The Last of Us Part 2,” but I’ve found myself returning to this cover of “Take On Me” that exists in the game. I grew up with the song as a kid, but I’m finding that the slow covers of this song are really my thing.
I started playing The Last of Us Part II, and happened across this moment while searching an old building. It’s a very old Playstation 3, and alongside it…
I say we, but it’s all her. I’ve tapped out a lot from the game, but she’s been hooked and continues to progress forward. Snapped this photo around 1:30 AM.
Liz, taking notes and trying to find a path forward in Obduction. I’ve since gotten frustrated as it seems like we’ve exhausted all possible paths/clues. So I wasn’t playing, but Liz was jotting down things n the notebook she has specifically for the game.
One odd thing for me: as much as I like video games, at times this feels less fun to me. Liz enjoys the discovery process, but at times I get overwhelmed at the prospect of problem-solving more things after a day of work.
I remember playing this game with my old house mate Jim, back when we were undergrads in college. It still definitely evokes a particular feel and time for me, and it was fascinating to hear some of the history and technical details related to the game.
“The Last of Us” is well known for its compelling story, and the intro to the game still stands out to this day. Learning more of the details from the shooting process is great, but watching North’s reaction is really spectacular. I haven’t gotten through this whole video yet, but I was surprised to find myself captivated for more than 25 minutes.
Overall, I think the thing that really drew me in was how beautifully designed the game was. The cards themselves, of course, but I’m also talking about the board, the backdrop, the animations. The cards are all very distinctive and reflective of the four “Kingdoms” that exist in the world. But everything is so tightly tied together, from a visual point of view.
It’s been an interesting weekend. I fought against this strong, internal instinct to do more work work (catching up on some things, getting a head start on the following week). It really took some effort for me to unplug, and to prevent myself from hopping on VPN and attending to work over the weekend.
At some point, I had this sudden realization: by day, I was doing demo upstairs, and busting up the floor. And in the evenings, as a way to relax, I played a game where sometimes… your character runs around inside houses, breaking through the walls and floors.
As far as RPG’s go, I’m a sucker for archers. I always lean towards a ranger when playing games like this, and the few trailers I saw looked pretty amazing. The world/environment is one that is post-apocalyptic, but with a mixture of nature and machine. Trees and foliage have overrun buildings, but the world also seems inhabited by mechanical creatures – incredibly complex mechanical creatures.
It’s fun to spend so much time playing games again, though it does still leave me with a weird residual. During the actual game play, it feels relaxing and fun. But emerging from the fog, I feel like I’ve wasted several hours and regret not being in front of my computer, working on some project or other.
“I thought I’d fix this problem by creating a city in which only a single home could be built. Then I’d see who moved in and keep track of their lives. Here’s what happened.”
It’s a bit like the Sims, but much darker. I love the screenshot (above), as these two were just utterly miserable, yet trying to slow dance with one another and talking about their “future” together. I’m a terrible Overseer, but hey – my vault, my rules.