Of course, games still can be addictive, puerile and base. Looking at this list, you don’t see a niche for a band of entitled young men, but a medium that is pressing outward while also exploring inward.

What’s most encouraging about this year in games, though, is the continued push toward accessibility and diversity. They questioned how we live through instant messages, texts, our home screens and even a glorified spreadsheet. Games dropped us into the lives of troubled families in the Pacific Northwest, morally complicated gangsters in Tokyo, baseball-obsessed high school girls in San Francisco Bay and artificial intelligence in the distant future. Rich video game publishers continued making games about stabbing and shooting, yes, but they framed them in a way that engaged with history, even when the message was as simple as, “Yeah, pal, it’s good to punch Nazis.”Ģ017’s best games were silly, thoughtful, gross, beautiful and surprising They respect life.īig franchises that could have preyed on our nostalgia voluntarily evolved, creators engaging with our fandom, but firmly pushing their artistic goals forward - and us with them. Instead, we have games that recognize the fragility and preciousness of human life, games that deal with death, mental health, teenage anxiety and child illness. What a strange joy to see all of them together.Īnd what a relief that, in 2017, so few of these games involve shooting people in the head, splashes of blood being the only color in their world. This year, we collected 50 of our top games into a list. And quite often, they manage to be both at once. But when games are their best, the experience is so much greater than an emotional exit. Are we really escaping when we play games? Or are we learning, experimenting and taking control of ourselves? Are we learning to experience life not as we know, but as those around us experience it? Are we gaining empathy and camaraderie and relief?

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