Favorite things related to gaming (and a few least favorite things)

Favorite things related to gaming
(and a few least favorite things) 

by Gary Hamrick Jr.

This blog post is mostly just to cover some of my favorite and least favorite games, developers, game franchises, etc.  There's probably a bunch of games that I have missed out on that I would have enjoyed, especially on PC.  I didn't own a PC, especially a gaming PC, from around 2004 until November of 2016.  There are games that I have gone back and tried to play with mixed results. I have found myself to gotten increasingly pickier about games as I have gotten older.

Favorite Game of All Time: Don't really have one.  I have generally found myself a bigger fan of certain game franchises and potential franchises than any one game in a particular franchise. 
Favorite Game Franchises: Elder Scrolls 
Biggest Guilty Pleasure Game or Game Franchise of all time: This one has changed over time.  It used to be the Lego Games on Console. (Tried playing the Lego games on PC and they are glitchier on PC than on Console in my experience.)  These days, it is probably Minecraft (the bedrock version) or a certain Disney game that released in 2022.  
Current PC Guilty Pleasure: House Flipper
Games I am looking forward to the most: As of January 1, 2023: Starfield, Hogwarts Legacy, Elder Scrolls VI, New Witcher and Cyberpunk games.  
Favorite Game Genre: See the genres of my favorite franchises.  Though honestly, I enjoy games that I can create stuff on, or explore, or that have a good story.  Having said that, there's several Action-RPG and RPG games on the PC that I would like to go back and have a go at that I missed over the years. 
Favorite Game Developers: Bethesda... with CD Projekt Red being a close second 
Franchises with which I have a love-hate relationship: The Sims and The Final Fantasy franchises.
Least Favorite Game Genre: The competitive Battle Royale and MOBA games.  I play games to relax and have fun not to stress myself out by "competing" with people half my age or younger.  I also generally suck at most first person shooters and sports games so I stay away from most of those too.  (A lot part of this is due to eye-sight issues and bad reflexes.)  Honestly, I'd consider getting a new NCAA football game if I could simulate AI vs. AI games for my own entertainment.
Biggest problem with playing on a PC: I have to use a controller on most games or do a controller and mouse keyboard hybrid, especially in recent years.  This is largely due to some nerve issues in my hands and also shoulder and neck pain.  (I am hurting a lot right now while typing this actually and it taking me a lot longer than it should get done.)  While I can use a mouse and keyboard on a game like the Sims, for example, I periodically lose feeling in my hand while griping the mouse for a couple of minutes at a time.  Typing at a keyboard gets painful in my hands and shoulders after a bit also even going back to typing papers in college or working on other stuff like movie scripts.  It has gotten much worse in recent years which has made even typing up blog posts a more lengthier process than it once would have been.

Biggest problem with playing on a Console: You basically can't use console (debug?) commands or mods on console games.  I don't install a lot of mods on games but I do occasionally.  I do enjoy using console commands on the Elder Scrolls and Fallout games after my first playthrough, though.  Mostly, it involves just spawning items so I can either save time running around getting stuff or get some stuff early on that might not normally be available early in the game.  There are mods on PC that will allow you to use a version of console commands on both Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077.  

Having done this post, I have had several ideas for future blogs.  There will be a series of blog posts in 2023 about my enjoyment of various franchises as well as what as become my love-hate relationship with various franchises.  So... stay tuned there?

Cheers.