Video games

 "What have you got in your life, huh? Nothing. Nobody. Oh, wait. Yes. Video games..."

- Walter White in the episode "Say My Name", Season 5, Episode 7 of Breaking Bad

    I feel like these lines aged well with Walter White addressing our generation. It suits so well with today's generation of gamers who totally immerse themselves in the art of gaming. I, for one, can relate so much with that as well. I used to bunk school just to play games at home by calling in sick. And, I think most of my language and cognitive skills have developed so much thanks to gaming.

    I remember growing up playing God of War, Counter Strike, Minecraft, etc., and as I age, I don't think my passion for these games gave grown older as I have. Sure, my skills have deteriorated over time and everytime I play an FPS game I just wanna punch the screen, but I don't think that will ever stop me from getting good at those games. My entire personality revolves around gaming. Some might call it childish, but that's the point right? You grow up and become mature, bear responsibilities and get too busy, but you never let go of your inner child. Of course I don't play games on my laptop whenever I get some free time (like I even get any these days), but that longing to just relax and load up Devil May Cry 5 and slash through monsters never fades away. As a matter of fact, it's the whole reason I bought a gaming laptop in the first place. But, as we all know, life happens and you just aren't gonna get enough time to slow down and cherish all the small things in life. I hope I get that break soon enough.
    During my college days, I was determined to do my research on God of War and I actually succeeded and finished my Masters with my thesis on Kratos, who portrays the ideology of Stoicism in God of War 2018 as opposed to his acts of violence in the older versions. But, that's a story for another day. My point is that while some people prefer to read through novels to get themselves involved in a story, an actual video game give you the freedom to become the character yourself and you become an extension of that universe. You are who you play. Not everyone would think the same, so inherently, not everyone would play the same. Every player is entitled to their own story and they play a game at their own pace. They become the character of a story game.
    If in case you have the time to indulge yourself with some story based games, try these:

• God of War 2018 (Rated M - 17+)
  
• Assassin's Creed III (Rated M - 17+)
• Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rated M - 17+)
  
• Tomb Raider 2013 (Rated M - 17+)
• NieR: Automata (Rated M - 17+)
• Devil May Cry 5 (Rated M - 17+)
• Detroit: Become Human (Rated M - 17+)
• Far Cry 3 (Rated M - 17+)
• Undertale (Rated E - 10+)