Popular video games; What to try next

     After the recent Among Us and Fall Guys craze died down, people have been left wondering what games to play.

     Minecraft is the most notable video game, as it is number one on the best selling charts, according to Wikipedia. Minecraft is a sandbox video game created by Mojang and ported to mobile devices and modern consoles. “I like how you can have the freedom of starting something completely new and creative. This is yours and you can play against other people,” Brynn Hoffman, sophomore, who has been playing the game on Xbox since she was seven comments. Minecraft has been at the top for years. “Minecraft seems to be timeless.”

     Cameron Nall plays Minecraft on the PS4. “I like building from nothing to something,” she says.

     Sam Chan, sophomore, has been playing the game since it came out. “The only limit is your imagination. [You can] go wherever you want. No one can tell you what you can or cannot do,” Chan explains. “Ever since it launched I have been in love with the game.”

     Another multi-platform game is Call of Duty, a first-person shooter published by Activision. As another video game at the top charts, there are many people who play it. Hoffman plays the game on Xbox. “I like the learning aspect of different strategies in the game since I’m fairly new to it,” she says.

     GTA is a top-selling series of action-adventure games that are now published by the company Rockstar Games. Bella Southard, sophomore, has been playing the game for years on weekends. She likes “that you get to drive around and off mountains.”

     Rocket League is a free, popular game that you can find on all platforms. Cruz Cespedes, sophomore, got the game two years ago and has been playing it for a few hours when he has time. His favorite part of the game is “being able to enjoy the game with my friends and play custom games.”

     Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege is a tactical shooter developed by Ubisoft. Julia Blondell, sophomore, says this is one of her favorite games because of its focus on teamwork. “The game features a large number of unique characters that can directly counteract other characters, which is something I enjoy,” she explains. “Despite the fact that the game does not have the best of reputations, I really enjoy playing it.” As a word of advice, she recommends not arguing with your teammates, because they will likely team-kill you.

     League of Legends is a free-to-play, multiplayer online battle arena game developed by Riot Games. Although it has been around for over a decade, it still has a growing fanbase. Grace Herron, junior, has recently started playing the game, and it is her new favorite. “It’s pretty toxic, so not many people are friendly,” she starts. “But I play with my friends from school and it’s a lot of fun.”

     Blondell played League of Legends for a while before growing out of it. “It’s fast-paced, addictive, [and] full of thrilling champions,” she starts. “I like that the system is modified on a regular basis, which ensures that bugs and other issues that seem to be exploited are addressed.”

     Also made by Riot Games is Valorant, a free-to-play first-person hero shooter. Chan has been playing the game for almost a year. “I have had a lot of fun on it,” he says. “I think the concept of the game is amazing as well as the features that are in the game such as specific agent abilities and different weapon stats.”

     “I recommend it for anyone who likes first-person shooter games and for people who like strategy, as you have to communicate with your team in order to gain a win for the round,” Chan says.

     A game similar to Valorant is Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), a multiplayer first-person shooter game developed by Valve and Hidden Path Entertainment. Reese Showalter, sophomore prefers CS:GO over Valorant. “I enjoy the look and different game modes of CS:GO compared to Valorant,” Showalter explains.

     Herron grew up watching CS surf videos, a game mode in CS:GO. “It was one of the first PC games I’ve ever played, so it holds a special place,” she says.

     When it comes to mobile games, Among Us is still near the top, along with strategy games like Supercell’s Clash of Clans and Clash Royale, and Ninja Kiwi’s Bloons Tower Defense (BTD).

     “I’ve been playing BTD5 for 7 years and it’s a game that I’ll never get bored of,” James Zangrilli, North Harford alumni says. “The classic battle between monkeys and balloons is the greatest thing to have come to this world since sliced bread.”

     Griffin Hevesy, junior, has been playing BTD5 since elementary school. “I like how you are [a] monkey,” he explains.

     As for Nintendo-specific games like Mario Kart and Super Smash bros that are top 50 highest-sellers. Ian Calhoun, sophomore has enjoyed playing Mario Kart with their friends since they were 7. “It’s just something I play when I’m bored,” Calhoun says.