Celebrate National Video Games Day
Today is September 12th: National Video Games Day! Video games have been available for public play for well over thirty years, now, but the earliest games were developed back in the forties and fifties. While the earliest games, like Pong, were very simple representations of real-life games like table tennis and handball, video games have evolved into a vast variety of genres, game styles, stories, and avenues of artistic expression.
If you’re a fan of video games, you probably already have a list of games you’ve been wanting to play that you can pick from to enjoy today. But if you’re not familiar with video games, today is the perfect time to give them a try. We’ve collected a few video game recommendations that are easy to learn and play, can be played right on your home computer, won’t take long to get through, and have compelling stories that won’t let you down.
Thomas is a little red rectangle — an AI in a failed program. As he discovers who and what he is, he also finds friends. Together, they set out to escape their program. Well-written with some fabulous narration, this game offers a moving story of friendship and sacrifice.
The story is familiar: a young man sets out to rescue a lost princess; but it’s deeper than it sounds, a thoughtful rumination about growing up and moving on, about the complexities that appear in the world as we leave childhood behind. Bend time, undo your mistakes, and defy physics in this beautifully-rendered game.
A lonely boy travels through a dark, frightening forest full of monsters and horrors in search of his lost sister. Often frightening and even disturbing, this nevertheless-beautiful game is not for the faint of heart.
Of all the games on this list, Portal is definitely the most difficult to master… but it will be well worth it. Solve mind-bending puzzles at the dictation of a disturbed robot in a game filled with subtle humor and amazing design. Portal is easily one of the greatest games ever made.