Top 5 Video Games to Play While Under Quarantine
by Doğu Alemdar
2020 has definitely been a very interesting year for everyone around the world. From earthquakes to bushfires a wide range of devastating natural occurrences have left everyone speechless, and throughout March we have all learned that the possibility of something worse happening is always on the table. The recent outbreak COVID-19 commonly known as the Coronavirus has us all on our toes. Never in centuries has the globe been affected so much that the daily life of almost every single individual living on our planet has changed. In these troubling times it is our responsibility to self-isolate, look after ourselves and not panic. With such a high amount of global attention being directed towards ending the spread of the virus, it is only a matter of time before life gets back to normal. But, with that being said right now is the time to hit the pause button on our previous lifestyles for the safety of others. No, this does not mean to stop studying. After all, being prepared for the reopening of school is another one of our very important responsibilities. However, in this current state of uncertainty and fear I find that the best medicine is videogames.
There are varying ways to enjoy the world of gaming to its fullest. Some prefer single-player campaigns with immersive stories, others enjoy the competitive aspect of multiplayer matches, and a very select few enjoy being apart of a community of diverse and amazing people from around the globe while playing self-created missions with them on a massively multiplayer sandbox game.
This list will aim to cover the specific likes and interests of the most common types of gamers by including games from many diverse genres and platforms. Without further ado here are the top 5 video games to play while under quarantine.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare
This new addition to the Call of Duty series had almost the entire gaming community thrilled awaiting its release. When the developers announced that the LEGENDARY modern warfare storyline was going to get remade, including the addition of previously deceased characters, and that the entire focus of the development team was to make the game as close to real-life as possible, Call of Duty fans around the world fell head over heels to the new modern warfare. I can clearly recall myself in 4th grade lying on our living room couch with a PlayStation 3 controller in my hand, playing modern warfare 2 and not having a single worry in life. Good times for sure. My point is that the modern warfare series of Call of Duty was, without doubt, the best release of the game so far. After a few disappointing games which were released in 2017-2018, the COD fanbase clearly stated that they wanted the next game to be realistic and immersive. Infinity Ward managed to deliver exactly that. Personally, I only play COD games for their amazing campaigns, but the new game has a huge multiplayer aspect along with different game mods such as team deathmatch and even battle royale. The only downside I would give to the new Modern Warfare would be that it can only be accessed in PC through Blizzard and not other more reliable platforms such as Steam. Blizzard’s Battle.net launcher is not my favorite platform to run a game with and I certainly have experienced a lot of trouble when trying to download and play the game itself. However, all in all, the nostalgia the game gave me along with its incredibly immersive storyline blew me away.
League of Legends
Almost every high school student regardless of whether or not they have actually played the game has heard of League of Legends. To sum up, LOL is a competitive multiplayer game where two teams of 5 characters battle to destroy each other's nexus crystals. It can both be very relaxed and super competitive depending on your play style. The game requires a very high amount of skill and critical thinking to master but it is very easy to get hooked on after a few matches. Back before high school, I used to have this friend of mine that introduced me to LOL. He was 3 years older than me and was crazy good at playing the game. I always looked up to him and practiced daily hoping to play like him one day. He is now undoubtedly my best friend. Even though he and his family moved to Canada two years ago, we have visited them every summer since and every time we meet we play LOL until the sun comes up. Recently, I downloaded the game once again to play with some of my very close friends from school and it would be an understatement to say that I had a blast. If you are looking to get into LOL from scratch, or have played the game previously but stopped this quarantine might be a great excuse for you to download the game and have a good time.
Arma 3
“Picture of me and my unit taken after our first deployment mission in Afghanistan, I am the first guy to the left of the flag”
Unlike almost all the entries on this list, not many people have heard of this game, let alone played it. Arma 3 is officially known as a military sandbox game. But, to put it in simple terms Arma 3 is whatever you want it to be. With endless mods easily downloadable with the click of a button, and with thousands of servers all including unique game modes ranging from king of the hill to life servers. This game is my personal favorite. With over 2.000 hours playing the game itself you’d think that I have experienced pretty much all of the aspects the game offers. No, I have not. I generally play on lie/roleplay servers similar to the game Grand Theft Auto 5 but with a much more immersive and wide range playstyle. I have to say though, almost 75% of my hours on Arma have been playing Milsim with a group of friends, a community, my unit. Milsim refers to military simulation. Basically, we play dress up and complete missions together supported by role players playing as civilians, pilots and the enemy which we interact with and have fun. But, to fully understand what Milsim offers and is I would highly recommend looking up different Arma 3 units operation videos on Youtube as it is a very unfamiliar concept to many gamers worldwide. The reason I like Arma so much is its community. I am apart of a 20 to 40 player group of friends from all around the world with diverse lives and different things to bring to the table. These guys and girls are people that I can go to with everything whether it be game related or not. Once you have been playing every week for 2 years straight with the same people an indescribable bond is built between each other which I would not trade for any campaign or competitive game ever. If you are looking for an amazing game with endless ways of playing, I would personally recommend that you try out Arma 3 and find yourself a community just like mine.
Life is Strange
Life is strange is an award-winning choice-based single-player game. With tons of shocking plot twists and multiple endings, the game is one of the very few single-player games I truly enjoyed playing. The game follows 18 year old high school senior Max Caulfield who discovers that she can reverse time and change the outcome of certain situations. With a very unique storyline that sucks the player in this game could be an amazing addition to the games you play while under quarantine.
Blair Witch
Most of you have heard of the horror film “Blair Witch Project”. This newly released game which is based on the movie follows the story of former cop Ellis and his dog Bullet who get lost in a haunted forest while searching for a lost boy. Blair Witch is, without doubt, the best psychological horror game I have ever played. With so many things affected by every move of the character this game truly manages to provide an immersive gaming environment. If you are into horror games with amazing storylines Blair Witch might be a perfect fit for you.
We have now come to the end of our list. I would like to clarify that these games choices are solely based on my and a few of my friends' opinions. Even though I tried to be as inclusive of all different platforms and game styles available, it would be impossible to represent every single branch of gaming through only five choices. With that being said, I hope you have all enjoyed the list and will consider trying out some of these games in the future. Stay safe.