Being in U of T makes it really, REALLY hard for me to pick up the controller and start playing games. As the homework and readings stack up higher than the CN Tower, I find myself aching for the joy of shooting aliens in the face but never get the chance to do so as much anymore.

So what can a gamer like myself do to alleviate the itch for playing? Change genres.

Thanks to the wonders of Internet, many games are available for the incredibly cheap price of zilch. On top of that, they provide a fun challenge for about 30 minutes or so. Despite the seemingly tiny number, these 30 minutes are usually some of the most amazing 30 minutes you’ll ever spend with your life. Like, ever. The indie PC market is brimming with amazing ideas and innovations that we barely see in our bloated shoot-every-alien-you-see-as-a-cool-space-marine-with-a-gruff-voice market.

Here’s a nice, chunky list for you to chew on:

Point n’ Click

Submachine

One of my really favorite genres of Flash games – PNC, which stands for Point N’ Click. If you’re a big fan of classic titles such as Secret of Monkey Island or Sam & Max, you’re going to love these as well. They might not have much in the way of text or funny dialogue, but they make up for it in atmosphere. Submachine is an excellent example – the worlds that you get taken in are brimming with strange artwork and really haunting music. Great way to pass some time.

Shmup

The meaning of epic.

Shoot ‘Em Ups, or Shmups for short, are a classic genre of gaming that dates back to the early days of 8-bit and arcade gaming. Basically the premise is simple – SHOOT EVERYTHING. The more enemies you shoot, the more points you rack up. In addition you also have lives to worry about – lose all lives and you lose the game. This game is a prime example of a 5-minute time waster – Robot Dinosaurs That Shoot Beams When They Roar. Mow down the enemies and save the world from impending doom!

Puzzle

Whee, blocks~

Play puzzle games at your own discretion – these games are some of the most addicting you’ll ever find on the internet. It starts simple enough, but once you progress deeper into the game you’ll realize how multi-faceted and engaging puzzles can get. Tetris is the classic example – 25 years of numerous iterations hasn’t stopped this from being the ultimate addicting time spender.

And there you have it – three genres from hundreds that you can find on the Internet nowadays. I understand that this is not really a good time to post up these games, but hey. We need a little breathing room for a bit of fun in learning, so play away! Nobody’s going to notice.

Hopefully.

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 11th, 2009 at 12:23 pm and is filed under Entertainment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.