StaceyPowers

If you had to pick armor from any game to wear into battle IRL, what would you choose? I’ll go with my Forsworn armor from Skyrim, since it is lightweight and agile yet mysteriously protects me despite a lack of coverage.

The topic of “politics vs. creative freedom” comes up often enough in other threads that I thought I’d make a thread for it. My feeling is that it is something of a false dichotomy, as expressing a political view in a game can be a form of creative freedom. Not expressing a political view in a game is also a form of creative freedom. I can respect either decision.

There are so many elements of Mass Effect that seem pulled from other sci-fi franchises. Yet for all its lack of originality, I still love it. No questions to ask here, more just an observation.

I am playing Mass Effect 3 right now, and the game seems to be doing well wrapping up character arcs. What are some other games that do well with this?

Do you feel bothered by sexualized character or armor designs? In terms of promoting social change, I’d like to see more realistic designs. But aesthetically, I admit I like them sometimes.

What game do you wish had existed for you to play as a kid? For me, I’d say open world games in general top the list.

In an open world game, time moves at an accelerated pace, which makes sense, especially given how rapidly we can cross terrain. But do you feel like on average time has run at an ideal speed in games you have played? Would you prefer that it moved faster? Slower? I personally feel like days in Fallout and ES go a little too fast.

I’ve noticed that games that allow a seamless transition between day and night add a lot of realism and immersion for me. I don’t think they are necessary to have a good experience, but they do add a lot over one static time of day. How do you feel about this?

I’ve noticed with a large percentage of games, I have to go into the menus and turn the music way down, the sound effects a bit down, and the dialogue way up. I’m not sure if my speakers are at fault, or just my ears. Does anyone else make similar regular adjustments?

If a soundtrack loops a lot, does it ever annoy you to the point of switching if off for a time?

I’ve noticed that with multiple characters that can become stewards in Skyrim, the dialogue to make it happen doesn’t always trigger. Has anyone else experienced a lot of bugs of this kind?

What are the cutest creatures in video games? My vote goes to the mudcrabs in Skyrim.

What are your favorite romances in video games?

What are the most painful sacrifices you’ve had to make in games? For me, the part where you need to choose to sacrifice one of your companions in Mass Effect 1 was one of the worst.

At first glance, gaming is an expensive hobby. You’ll spend hundreds on a console or gaming PC, and if you buy games new, you’ll be spending around $70 per game. But I think even IF you spend full price on new games, it is arguably the most cost-effective/high value form of entertainment, considering the dozens or hundreds of hours of entertainment you get for that price—often on your first playthrough alone. Most of the gamers I know are far from rich. Before I got into gaming, I wondered how they afforded it. Now I realize how affordable it can be, especially if you shop used. What are your thoughts?

Do you have a strategy for saving up money for gaming? I usually try to set aside money when I work overtime.

If you feel comfortable sharing, how much do you think you spend on average per year on your gaming? I am guessing for me it is $100-200 on average.

Nothing in gaming has cost me more than DLCs. I’ve probably spent a few hundred dollars on them by now. What about you?

If you play Skyrim on a system where you cannot remove the “essential” status of certain characters, which do you most wish you could kill? For me, it is Delphine, Esbern, and pretty much the entire government of Markarth.

I love how surreal this thread got.

@Shagger has apparently succeeded with this though. But yes this is the room in question. I feel like it is one of the hardest in the game, and I can't imagine how many people it massively discouraged since it comes so early on. But I always tell people "if you can beat this stupid room, you can beat the game."

Is anyone here working on any game-themed DIY projects? My home is mostly windows with no wall space, but right now I am working on covering the inside of one of my windows, wallpapering it over, and putting up BioShock art. I’m trying to choose an art deco wallpaper that looks like it could be in Rapture.

What games have the most beautiful box art?

I got Morrowind when it was free and keep forgetting I have it, so I still haven’t played it yet. Do others here also tend to forget about games they got for free when there were promos?

What games do you think have done the best when it comes to books, codex entries, or other written lore? I think the Dragon Age codex entries are fairly interesting and easy to read.