The first thing we want to say about the global pandemic is that we hope all of our readers are OK and that you're all staying safe. It's a scary time to be alive right now, and we wish you all the best wherever you are and whatever you have to do to stay out of harm's way. If we're all patient and we all take sensible precautions, this will all be over before any of us know it.
The second thing we want to say about the global pandemic is that if you're stuck at home, it's going to be very boring for a while. Almost every sport in the world is currently suspended. Netflix and Disney have shut down production of all their new television shows, and several movies have been temporarily put on hold as well. Not only is there no sport to watch, but very soon there's going to be almost nothing new to watch at all. If you can't go out anywhere and you have nothing to watch on television, there's very little to think about other than how grim the world outside has become.
This is where video games step in. Whether you're an experienced gamer or you've stayed on the fringes of the gaming world, there's always a game out there for you somewhere, and they're a great way to pass the time and take your mind off things for a while. Most of us would love to indulge in a little bit of escapism right now, and a great game is a way to do that. Here are five video games for you to play while you're in isolation!
Minecraft
You've probably heard of Minecraft even if you've never played it. Despite its simplistic, blocky appearance, it's a globally-successful smash hit that has an online community of nearly one hundred million players. It doesn't matter whether you play your games on a console, a PC, or a mobile phone - you can still access Minecraft and becoming part of that enormous group of people. The name of the game in Minecraft is to make buildings and create virtual towns, cities, and superstructures. That might sound a little basic, but it's hard to explain the appeal of Minecraft if you've never played it. The best thing you could do is just dive in and find out what all the fuss is about. You'll get addicted, and you won't be sorry about it.
Grand Theft Auto V
Looting. Rioting. Violence. Enough about the world outside though - Grand Theft Auto V is still a lot of fun to play even if it's a few years old now. The story mode will take you at least a week to play through even if you're playing for twelve hours a day, and really it's just the beginning of the story. Most of the entertainment in GTA comes from its super-popular online features, which are enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people every day. Go to a casino and see what you can win. Play tennis against a friend. Steal a car and go on a murderous rampage. Join a criminal gang. It really is all up to you - this is one of the best open-world games ever made, and morality goes out of the window as soon as you get past the loading screen.
Shadow of The Tomb Raider
Lara Croft was a legend more or less from the moment she was digitally 'born' in the 1990s, and she's never gone away for than a year or two since. We've seen her on the big screen in the movies. We've even seen her face on casino websites like Rose Slots. The star of Tomb Raider is one of the few computer game celebrities that has appeared as an online slots attraction not once, but twice. There was an official Tomb Raider game released a few years ago, and she came back again with the Lara Croft: Temples and Tombs online slots game last year. She's never looked better than she does in Shadow of the Tomb Raider though, and as the 'definitive edition' of the game has been released very recently, you can now pick up a copy that has all of the additional tombs and features that have been added since its initial release in late 2018.
Fortnite: Battle Royale
Yes, we know that this is is an obvious choice. It's obvious for a reason, though. The fact that YouTubers can make six figures a year just by streaming themselves playing Fortnite should be enough to tell you that it's a huge deal, and a game doesn't become a huge deal without being fun to play. It has all the combat thrill of Call of Duty without any of the blood, guts, and depression. Blowing people up and shooting them from long range has never been so entertaining. There's only one rule in Fortnite; stay alive by any means necessary, and be the last person standing when everyone else falls down. Be warned, though - addiction to this game can come very quickly, and it's extremely difficult to shift once it's set in!
Civilization VI
Many of you will have played the first two versions of Civilization as children or teenagers in the 1990s and will have had no idea that versions of the game were still being made today. We have great news for you - not only is it still being made, but it's better than ever. The premise of the game hasn't changed. You still start off as a Stone Age tribe and have the burden of nurturing your civilization to global dominance over multiple centuries, but there's so much more detail than there used to be, and the gameplay is much more nuanced. Because of the complexity, it can be a little hard to get your teeth into as a beginner, but the game's tutorial is well structured, and once you've got your head around everything, it's extremely rewarding. Once you're into it, you won't even notice daytime turning into night.
We think the five games we've listed above offer a pretty good range and variety, but there are always more options. If you've got a console or a game collection gathering dust in the corner, brush it off, switch it on, and ride out the apocalypse with a controller in your hand!
