Soha E is a Diversity & Inclusion leader at Riot Games and sits on the Board of Directors for Dames Making Games. She also streams every Saturday with her friend Kelsey and you can follow her on Twitter. Her avatar is made by @snowswallow_.
There’s a GTAV video that always makes me laugh. Michael flies a blimp toward a replica of the Griffith Observatory as Eddie Murphy’s “Party All The Time” plays on the radio and crashes right into the building. The blimp bursts into flames and screams from innocent bystanders can be heard offscreen. Michael ragdolls to the balcony where a quest marker waits for him, and a cutscene immediately starts where he throws his arms out to greet an NPC with a casual “Davey!”
This video is how I feel trying to write about video games in 2020. At the time of typing this sentence there are over 330,000 people dead from a COVID-19 in the United States. There is massive unemployment, one in four children are hungry, about 40 million people are facing eviction, and the government does not give a shit. Yet here I am with arms out and a smile hoping that a list of games I liked this year can provide some anodyne in this nightmare we’re stuck in.
I want to say two things before I get to the list. First, I hope you’re all okay and safe out there. Second, if you can, make sure to donate to mutual aid groups. If you’re not sure where to start then check out these awesome resources. Now for the list.
In Other Waters
I started playing this the moment I read “a non-violent sci-fi story” in its description. The genre is saturated with enough bleak and dire narratives to stir anxiety about the future of space exploration, and while there’s a time and place for that, In Other Waters provides a refreshing take with a soundtrack that soothes the nerves. Your goal as an AI interface is to guide a stranded xenobiologist through an alien planet, catalog new species, and ensure her survival. It’s methodological to the point of decompression--a needed order and structure in a time of chaos--with a gripping overarching mystery as the plot. Submerge yourself into new oceans and chill out alongside strange plants and creatures in a satisfying color palette, and if it’s your thing, pad your adventure with a damn good edible.
Persona 5 Royal
God, I miss my friends. I’ve been doing my part to quarantine since March; I canceled my wedding, wore my mask, dialed into Zoom, stayed six feet apart. My mental health hasn’t been this calamitous since writing my thesis in grad school when I experienced the slowest moving nervous breakdown. So when the update to Persona 5 was released as Royal, I nearly burst into tears. I can finally go to the movies! I’m free to visit bookstores and shop at the mall and ride the subway! I go on dates with my girlfriend Hifumi at the park without needing a mask! The streets of Tokyo are vibrant, crowded, and noisy, and oh my god MY FRIENDS ARE HERE! For the game itself, Royal is one hell of an upgrade. There are new animations, songs, mini-games, characters, and an entirely different end-game that should’ve been there all along. If you haven’t played the original Persona 5, just don’t. Skip it entirely. Play Royal instead and BE WITH YOUR FRIENDS!