What Game Are You?

So here’s the thing, I’m sitting watching the TV and there’s Mr T. extolling the virtues of World of Warcraft and his Mohawk grenade asking me “What game are you!?”

And this got me thinking, what kind of a game am I?

It’d be easy to say that I’m a driving game, after all I’ve spent a bunch of time playing them and they occupy more space on my games shelves than any other type, I’ve also been known to blat around the odd track or two on my bikes. It would also be easy to point to the games I’ve spent most time playing, after all that’d be the obvious choice but is that an indicator simply of preference rather than type?

So I got to thinking about the games I’ve been playing recently and over the years to see if any of them ‘fit’ with the image of me that I have in my head. This is more difficult than I thought!

I thought back to Tomb Raider and the lovely Lara C. The exploring, working out the puzzles, mastering the slow walkover at the top of the climbs – you remember the one! – and reaching the final challenge, conquering it and gaining that final prize. The mental and physical exercise is certainly appealing but am I Tomb Raider? Interestingly close but not quite.

I had thought about Forza, Grid and Need for Speed. My desire to compete, to race, to win. The thrill of the perfect drift the inch-perfect racing line and the chequered flag. The cars, the marques and the performance, but am I Forza? No, close but no cigar.

Bikes then, it must be bikes after all I did a bit of racing, ran a team and have ridden on and off road for years. The MotoGP series? Pure (okay quads but same thing) for off road? Oh I know, how about FUEL! Racing, cars, trucks, motobikes, quads, on and off-road vehicles, challenges, the lot! This could be the one, except well it’s a bit one dimensional isn’t it. Am I FUEL? No I don’t think so.

I thought about Mass Effect and, of course, Mass Effect 2 and how deeply involved I got with the character of Silesti Shepard, her ongoing story, her growth as an individual, how much time I devoted to visiting all of those planets and moons, how much I missed it when I finished the first and how much I’m loving, loving the second, but am I Mass Effect? Oh it’s close, part of me wants to be Mass Effect but I think I actually just want to be Shepard. Am I Mass Effect? No, I’m afraid I’m not.

Then it hits me right between the eyes. I know which game I am! It fits me like a glove and covers all of the ground very nicely. There are mental challenges, exploration of the world around me, action and adventure, fighting tactics and strategy, resource management, a light dusting of fine, fine lovin’ and moral choices as well as a healthy dollop of caring softyness wrapped in a horned, glowing eyed exterior – it’s true I don’t have the glowing eyes and keep the horns well ground down but, you know – so it’s a pretty decent match. I AM OVERLORD 2!

Or am I…