The Best Video Games for Playing Alone
Living alone can be pleasant, quiet, and wonderful, but it can also give you a slight sense of social fear as you get too used to your own company. Fortunately, the wonderful world of video games will help you get your mind off your troubles.
I am not saying that addressing social anxiety through nascent video game addiction is the right move; rather, there are tons of titles you can enjoy alone when you just feel like getting away from the real world for a while. There are even games you can play that can help you make new friends and solve whatever went wrong in your real social life. Heck, people even found their next real partners in a video game. Everything can happen.
Massively multiplayer online games
The first and most obvious game choice to try if you’re feeling a little lonely is multiplayer. When thousands of people play huge virtual worlds on hundreds of servers, you’re bound to find three things: an activity you enjoy doing, people who also enjoy doing this activity, and a way for all of you to coordinate the activity. together in the future.
In other words, you don’t have to play the game the way the developers intended. If you are not interested in gigantic player battles against dozens (or hundreds) of other really good players, then don’t! You might find it enjoyable to work with a group of people to complete in-game achievements, mine asteroids, fish – whatever activities the game offers for those less combat-minded. (And if you really want to just band together and kill other people, that’s fine too!)
There are many titles you can choose from. I recommend trying World of Warcraft , one of the heavyweights that comes with a reasonable amount of hands and a free version of the game that you can play from levels 1-20 while your feet are wet. The Elder Scrolls Online is another title that I find compelling, especially if you prefer an MMO that feels more like an adventure game (with active blocking) than a press 1 to strike title.
Guild Wars 2 is another solid classic MMO that requires no prepayment for the core experience. And if you really want to jump deep, there is always EVE Online – you are sure to find communities ready to help newbies , and there is a lot you can do, even if flying and shooting is not for you. Heck, you can even try Elite: Dangerous if you feel like flying in space with a lot of people without feeling (too many) playing like one giant Excel spreadsheet.
Games with an excellent multiplayer component
If MMOs are not to your liking – and rightly so because they can be difficult and heartbreaking – consider a game that simply has a strong (but not overwhelming) multiplayer component. It’s even better if the game already forces you to work with other people or makes it painfully simple.
If you’re into shooters, free-to-play Fortnite can be a great way to survive the agony of defeat with squads (or giant teams) of newfound friends. Playing with open-world components like Grand Theft Auto V or Red Dead Redemption 2 can help you stay in touch with friendly back and forth gunfights. Seriously though, it’s easy to team up with others and create all kinds of chaos, so this can be a great way to enjoy communication and wreak some pretty cool in-game chaos.
And I would be a terrible gamer if I didn’t mention good old Stardew Valley . Find friends on the respective Reddit community and team up to build your very own mega farm. Assuming you all agree on the decor, you will be spending way too many hours with these people. The same is true for a game like Minecraft ; nothing brings people together like creativity and creation – or chaos, if you prefer to unite with others to discredit other people’s masterpieces.
What else? Team Fortress 2 ; Rocket League ; even battle arena games like Heroes of the Storm or League of Legends have thriving communities. Find players congregation who are ready to show you the ropes (or just have fun, instead of going crazy because of k / d ratio, or how bad you are acting on your line), and games that make you play well with others are an easy way to make new friends online. If you’re crazy, play Path of Exile ; you will have to turn to others, simply because in Diablo- like monster-clicker has the world’s craziest skill tree. You can also try Warframe ; I haven’t tried it myself, but I was told that the community of this action shooter is very welcoming for new players.
Idle games
I’ve talked about this great category of games before, but since then I’ve come across a lot more awesome games. For those of you who are unaware, an idle game is a game that basically plays on its own; you customize your parameters and let it work. From time to time you check it out, make some changes, and let it keep working.
You are not going to improve your social skills by playing these games directly. However, they are usually quite complex; If you are trying to minimize / maximize your experience, you will need to find communities of players who are playing your particular game and see what tips or suggestions they have. And in doing so, you will practice your social skills a little – much more than sitting alone all day playing Civilization VI or something.
Plus, these are great games that will give you a sense of progress and allow you to have some fun without the need for constant supervision. In other words, you won’t be sitting at your desk all day. You will set up your game, go outside and have a productive day, and check out how the game went when you get home. This is a win-win.
My current favorite idle game is the ever challenging NGU Idle , but I’ve also dabbled in Territory Idle , Idle Wizard, and my perennial favorite, Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms . Yes, you can even play multiple dummy games at once if you have a penchant for this sort of thing. It seems a little overwhelming to me sometimes, but it’s just me.
If you hate to mess around but want to find a game in which a well-established community is critical to understanding the game – giving you a simple reason to interact with others online – you can also check out the extremely challenging Dwarf Fortress . I have never been able to grasp this, but perhaps you are more fortunate with your ASCII world than I am.
Games that encourage real-world interaction
Finally, I recommend getting your phone out and grabbing one of the big walk-and-play games – Pokemon Go , Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, or even Minecraft Earth . Find a friend, colleague, or even a casual player as you walk your lunch break throwing digital Pokeballs at augmented reality creatures. You may even meet other players at one of the big events of these games in the real world, and maybe some of them will become your new game group in the future. You will never know!