Lake Stevens High School has a vast amount of students who all enjoy different things, but out of over 2000 Vikings, what is their favorite video game? According to a poll inquiring about the interests of students in video games, the most popular genres are action, FPS, horror and RPGs. The most popular game amongst students is “Roblox,” a sandbox game where the players can create their own games or play other’s creations.
Roblox is the most played game on campus, the reason would be its massive diversity in its games. Roblox itself is like the Ikea of games, if someone wants a certain type of game, they can find it. The selection on the site is vast and has pretty much anything one could ask for and if it doesn’t exist, it can be made. With this large of a selection and the ability to make whatever people want, it’s only natural that fans of all genres would come to play it.
Even though Roblox has every genre, it still doesn’t work for some people. It’s the most played on campus because of its vast selection, but some people would rather take the games made by studios they love, or maybe they aren’t a fan of the blocky style that Roblox has.
What are some of the other games on campus that people are a fans of? From Software’s biggest hit yet, “Elden Ring” has many dedicated fans to the series. “The Dark Souls” series, which “Elden Ring” comes from, has been known around the world as having some of the most difficult games, but what makes these games so appealing? “If it was too easy, the game wouldn’t have the spark that it has. The difficulty is what makes the game and the world. The world is gritty and in your face and it really gives it a punch, some pizzazz,” senior Emet Brockway said.
The difficulty can make something have a very compelling nature, hearing that something is “incredibly difficult” can make people intrigued and strive to overcome it. This mindset to overcome obstacles can be seen in day-to-day life as people have struggles or new goals they want to reach. Once people overcome these obstacles, they are left in a better place knowing that they have surpassed what once stopped them.
Some people may want to wind down and relax after a long day with something that is out of the constraints of real life. In a case like this, people could turn to something such as a fictional story, a game set in another world or a television show. With senior William Mapp, this just so happens to be the PlayStation 3 game called “Burnout Paradise”. “The exaggerated nature of racing and how it takes advantage of it by giving it a boost to where blue flames just come out of the car and you go a bajillion miles per hour. Sometimes you can be jumping over impossible distances that are impossible in a Ford Sedan, but you can do it because it’s a video game,” Mapp said.
The Burnout series provides people with the craziness that is unreachable in real life and this applies to many games. In games that aren’t constrained by the limits of reality, it’s possible to do some pretty crazy things, like having a bunch of plant guys guide an astronaut back home or playing as wizards and dueling other mythical creatures. The appeal of games that allow for these unrealistic things is being able to see things and do things that are normally impossible. Who wouldn’t want to see what it would look like if the impossible was possible?
Each person on campus is different, some might not play video games at all and that’s alright. What’s important is that students have found something they enjoy and are passionate about in their lives, whether that be games, sports, or other hobbies.
