Computer Games

23 Jun 2020

I've always been a computer gamer in addition to most other kinds of gaming. Much of that time has been while using a mac, both in the 90s when that made getting decent games very hard and for about a decade from 2010. I've never really gotten into console games at all, which is why I call this computer gaming, not video gaming... What is surprising is I keep finding myself going back to the same games (and kinds of games) after all this time.

Perhaps people who enjoy this site will also have similar taste in computer games, so here's a list of some that I just keep playing over and over... Most of these should be pretty cheap (or free) since they're not "new."

  • Hearts of Iron 3 - this is a "grand strategy" WWII game, where you can play as just about any nation in WWII. I keep going back to it to scratch my strategy itch, and also because I'll think of a different idea to try. And there's enough variability that you never know how a game might run - in my latest game, Germany so far has not tried to invade France after Poland, and failed to fully defeat Denmark...

  • Cataclysm DDA - this is a "roguelike" open source zombie apocalypse game. Of course not much in terms of graphics, but the depth and configurability via mods is amazing. And it's free :)

  • Rimworld - this is one of the "newer" games - a "colony simulator" where you manage a small colony of people as they grow and eventually escape their planet... or just about anything else. Tons of mods, regularly updated and pretty light on the system resources.

  • Total War Medieval II - Another "grand strategy" type game I keep going back to. Runs great on a modern laptop. Total War Empire is also great for a more enlightenment gunpowder era itch.

  • Space Engineers - Open world spaceship and space base building. My most recent game, but it's been out for years. Another problem solving and creativity type game.

  • Minecraft - Yup, been playing this one a long time, which makes me quite popular wth my nieces/nephews. Open world, creativity and regularly updated. And tons of mods.

  • Left 4 Dead 2 - Another classic, FPS zombie shooter. Still lots of people playing online, and fun when I feel the need to shoot some stuff.