Gaming has quickly become a favorite pastime for children, teens and adults. In fact, as of this year, there are an estimated 2.81 billion gamers worldwide, according to Statista. Of those, 226.6 million reside in the U.S., Variety reported.
Addressing these gamers on Thursday, one Redditor wanted to know: “What is your favorite video game of all time?” The question was posed by u/tanz_7 in the “Ask Reddit” forum. Already, the post has received over 44,000 votes and more than 46,000 comments. Here are some of the top answers:
1. Age of Empires II
This strategy-based computer game was published by Microsoft and released for Windows and MacOSX in 1999, said the Age of Empires Series Wiki.
“Oh yeah…. definitely cost me some grades in college,” said u/sdotmerc.
“Hours really do pass like minutes [when playing]. It’s so much fun building up an empire with [an] economy and military. And there’s just so much you can do to get creative with it. Absolutely love the game,” added u/SifHaq.
“The game sparked a lifelong passion for history with me. [I] remember in 5th grade [I] was so excited to learn about the Aztecs in class just because of the expansion,” commented u/LunchpaiI.
2. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (I and II)
According to Wookiepedia, the game was the first computer role-playing game set in the Star Wars universe.
“Better than Star Wars itself IMHO [in my humble opinion]. Although I only had 2 as a kid it had a huge impact on how I thought about and assess media in that universe to this day,” said u/Plarzay. ” Kreia is by far the most interesting character written in any piece of Star Wars media by light years and I will fight anyone who says otherwise.”
Redditor u/busche916 added: “When Kotor 2 came out I sat down to my computer and played it for 18 hours straight before my parents all but physically dragged me away from the computer. That game is a masterpiece.”
3. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
This popular Nintendo game was released for the Nintendo 64 in 1998. At the time, it was praised for its “intuitive storyline and time travel mechanics and its 3D graphical style, which was new technology at the time,” according to Zelda Dungeon Wiki.
“OoT was pure perfection. The incredible soundtrack, gameplay, story, art direction, character design, level design, bosses, combat. EVERYTHING. Except that d*** water temple. But besides that, Ocarina was and is the greatest video game (say it with me kids) OF ALL TIME,” said one Redditor.
“I could talk about that game for hours. It is truly perfect and a masterclass on how to make a top tier video game,” u/LinksMilkBottle added.
Other top video games mentioned in the viral Reddit thread were: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, RollerCoaster Tycoon, Super Mario 64 and Spyro the Dragon.
Though many of the top games mentioned were released in the 1990s and early-2000s, some commenters shared that they had recently played these games for the first time. According to data obtained by Variety from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), this could be because of the pandemic.
“About 55 percent of U.S. video gamers say they have played more during the pandemic, and 90 percent say they are likely to continue playing even after social distancing is no longer required,” the magazine reported.
Speaking to the BBC, software developer and gamer Daniel Luu said that gaming helped people connect during the pandemic.
He said: “[The pandemic] really opened a lot of people’s eyes – even non-gamers – to what games can do to bring people together.”
Luu added that “bringing communities together” is something gaming has always done.
Chris Evans playing The Legend of Zelda 3D at Nintendo’s Arts & Cinema Centre while at Comic Con promoting “Captain America.”
Todd Williamson / Stringer/Getty
Source: https://www.newsweek.com/people-online-are-sharing-their-favorite-video-games-all-time-1646408
