Is This Your First Time?

[dropcap]U[/dropcap]ni is crammed full of new experiences, from trying out a whole new sport to just managing to cook something resembling a meal for the first time. For four Boar Games writers, however, coming to uni marked a notable change in how they chose to use their downtime.
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Ali Jones

While I was still at school, a combination of a functioning computer and not having to buy my own food meant that my taste in gaming was pretty mainstream. Things like Fallout, Skyrim and Just Cause 2 were the kind of enormous, open-world adventures that I could absorb myself in for hours at a time.

2 years later, more money goes into making rent than getting the latest AAA title, and even if I could easily afford it, I think my laptop would kill itself if I asked it to run GTA V. As a result, I turned to an indie scene that I never really appreciated before I came to uni.

I discovered a huge amount, and if you approach it with an open mind, the indie scene can compete with the biggest blockbusters; 8-bit Titan Souls might look like a poor man’s Bloodborne, but offered up a uniquely challenging gameplay; Antichamber is one of the most cryptic puzzle games I’ve ever played; Bastion is beautifully designed and offers brilliant story-telling. And if I’d put the same amount of time into my degree as I did into the two Binding of Isaac games, seminars would’ve been far less awkward experiences.

I don’t want to sound like some sort of crazy gaming hipster; there are games that I haven’t really enjoyed, and I am ridiculously excited for Fallout 4 and the new Dishonoured. But when you’ve only spent the cost of a pint on a game, it’s not like you’re going to be surviving on value baked beans until your bank balance recovers. Indie gaming is a bit of a gamble, but over the last couple of years I’ve found it’s one that’s often paid off.

 

Dan Sorensen

There are times during first year where you find yourself at a loose end: Terrace Bar’s dead, and you’ve already been to the Rootes grocery store three times today. So my flat turned to FIFA; a couple of Xbox controllers hooked up to my PC started what was to be a whole year of video game hilarity.

Amongst the constantly growing group of regular players in my cramped first year bedroom rivalries emerged, alliances were formed and egos clashed. We were soon bored with FIFA and moved on to side-scrolling brawlers like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. Perhaps my favourite gaming moments of first year were whilst playing the totally underrated WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008, an absolute steal from CEX at 50p. We got extremely into this game, and titans emerged from the primordial soup of ‘character creation’. These evenings of food, friends and video games are some of my favourite memories of first year.

I think there’s a therapeutic aspect to sitting down and mashing buttons for an hour, and it’s not just the immeasurable pleasure that comes from decapitating the person you know stole your milk in Mortal Kombat.

Looking beyond the recreational and social aspects of video games, I think there’s a therapeutic aspect to sitting down and mashing buttons for an hour. It’s not just the stress relief that comes from a game of FIFA after a long day of lectures, or even the immeasurable pleasure that comes from decapitating the person who you know stole your milk in a game of Mortal Kombat. Games provided a distraction that allowed some of my friends to share what was on their mind and brought us closer as a result.

Video games continue to play a role in keeping touch with my old housemates. It’s often difficult to find the time to stay in touch with the people we lived with, save the odd meaningless Facebook message, but for me, it’s as simple as a quick WhatsApp to the group: Anyone up for a game? I can’t recommend social gaming at university enough; some of the best friends I have made in the last two years started out as part of a small group of dedicated and passionate gamers.

 

Callum Bray

I’m not gamer. Not by any definition. But to my surprise I spent second year in a house of five gamers. I was lumped with this aspect of their personalities; it was more a case of me choosing the house despite their gaming and on the understanding that it’d be a good chance to work while they played. Basically, I was prepared to take the position of the obstinate outsider who would refuse to bow to social pressure. This didn’t last.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still not a gamer. I tried to sit down alone with Democracy 3 but even the excitement of making a minutia of alterations to income tax rates couldn’t keep me in front of the screen for hours. But what I have learnt is that, for me, games are great when short and sociable. The best example from my two years has been Speedrunners, an arcade-style game in which four people race through various small maps. It’s easy to play and encapsulates that age-old staple of a night in – not-so-friendly competition.

 

Megan Richold

University is all about new experiences, I knew to expect that much. What I didn’t expect was to fulfil true nerd status (I already do physics and love dinosaurs) and become a gamer.

Before university, my gaming experience amounted to one go at Slender Man and repeatedly jumping off the Empire State building in the then already dated Spider Man 2 game. A few years on, I count myself as a gaming enthusiast who not only plays the games, but follows the news, reads the reviews, and watches the pros.

The friends I made during first year are the main reason for this change: I started out cynically spectating when there was nothing else to do around halls, but quickly became an annoying back seat gamer. At this point I reluctantly committed myself to completing a game on my own.

Spelunky, a tricky but endearingly-animated platformer, has become my go-to revision break activity (note to self, really should replace this with exercise).

Portal was the first game I played and finished. The story is great and the puzzles better, but the game isn’t too technically challenging and with only a few time restricted tasks, it allows the player to complete it at their own pace, which makes it a great beginner’s game. Since then I have tried out a number of coop and single player games. The Binding of Isaac, and its recent sequel, Rebirth, have been particular favourites; it’s a dungeon-crawling indie game that doesn’t require any background knowledge to begin with (although it certainly helps later on), with dark humour throughout and great replay value. I’m my house’s reigning champion at Divekick, a ridiculous 30-second fighting game where your only moves are ‘dive’ and ‘kick’. Spelunky, a tricky but endearingly-animated platformer, has become my go-to revision break activity (note to self, really should replace this with exercise).

I am now bridging the gap into less beginner-friendly games, trying out DotA 2, an online multiplayer game which requires detailed knowledge of hundreds of items and characters, and a tremendous amount of communication and team work. It’s absolutely addictive, to the extent that I’ve already sunk the equivalent of more than three straight days playing in the last three months.

The thought of sinking the amount of time and money that I have into games would have been alien concept to me a few years ago, but I now get a lot of enjoyment from it as a hobby. Just shows, along with a lot of other experiences available at uni, anything is worth trying.
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