STACK #187 May 2020

GAMING FEATURE

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When word of compulsory isolation was first announced, gamers all across Australia willingly stepped up to the plate accepting their fate with an assured grin. A gamer friend told me after bunkering down with necessary supplies that she was “born for this challenge”. So it got me wondering: how else could gamers use this time productively? Words Bec Summer A GAMER’S To Do List

Go online Yes, most of us regularly play online but for many, intimidation, time constraints or just a reluctance to step outside of a single- player game preference are barriers to the wonderment of multiplayer games. It really is the ultimate way to test your mettle as a gamer; no amount of practice against an AI opponent can prepare you for a gamer vs. gamer experience. Set aside some time and dip your toe in, but be warned: once you join the online circus, it’s very hard to pull yourself away from the addiction. Genre swapping We become too familiar with favoured genres and settle in comfortably like an earwig on a tympanic membrane. But while we await the tsunami of releases soon to be heading our way, it’s time to step out of the comfort zone and try something a little different. So if you’re used to all the frenetic and relentless action of a Call of Duty, why not pick up a copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons ; you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised.

Platinum a-game Have you ever located every trophy in a PlayStation game and thus earn the laudable PlatinumTrophy status? Or has the lack of time and other responsibilities got in the way of completing them? Well there has never been a better opportunity to either start or continue on with a quest to earn that elusive trophy and then sit back and enjoy all the kudos that goes with that achievement. Finish it! Undoubtedly, we've all got games that we never got around to

Pile of shame How often have you done this: picked up a handful of games in a sale and stacked them up next to the console with all the best intentions of playing them next. That is until a new release hits the shelves and your dusty, neglected pile of shame is neglected once again. No excuses now – with the release schedule momentarily paused, pull out that pile, smash through it and make room for the next contenders.

finishing lying under a pile of new releases. Maybe a level was too hard to complete at the time or another game came out and caught the eye. Nevertheless, gamers are a proud bunch and the need to finish those games will be gnawing away like piranhas on the nub of a severed leg. Go on – knock them over!

74 MAY 2020

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