One of the coolest things about working at Polygon is recommending new, exciting games to play, whether they’re indie, casual, board, or just the best of the year. We play a wide variety of games all the time — it’s part of the job! — so we can keep you up to date on what’s out there. Lists are an easy way to recommend a bunch of games at once, but it’s also fun to make personal recommendations.
That’s why we started this open thread: to help you find your next favorite game. Want something to play while you wait in line? We’ve got you covered. Looking for something to play with a friend without a console? We’ve got ideas. Want a fantasy masterpiece that will last you hundreds of hours? Yeah, we’ve got a suggestion too. So ask away!
From 3:30pm to 5:30pm EDT, I’ll be answering your questions and requests for what you should play in the comments below. You can and should chime in with your own recommendations, or just chat about what you’re playing.
Now, a little about me and what I like to play: I’m Nicole Carpenter. I’ve been a reporter at Polygon for (almost) five years. When I’m not working or playing video games, I enjoy painting with watercolors, knitting socks, playing hockey, reading all about dragons, and enjoying my yellow fountain pen collection. (What does that mean? Lots of refilling pens with ink and cleaning others—a surprisingly time-consuming task—and writing and drawing. Sometimes I just look at my pens and admire them as if they were beautiful, useful gems.)
As for work, if I wanted to quickly summarize my job, I tell people I cover the business and culture of the video game industry. What that looks like in practice is a mix: last year I wrote about how Barbie Fashion Designer was made, and this year I spoke to people who Kim Kardashian: Hollywoodtwo iconic “games for girls”; I’ve spent a lot of time covering the industry’s nascent union movement, including creating a printable magazine; I sometimes dig into data to highlight issues like the video game funding gap for marginalized developers; and I can usually answer the question of why a random game suddenly goes viral.
But I also play a lot of games and write reviews and criticism. Lately I have Duck Detective, Animal sourceAnd Lorelei and the Laser EyesBut I also like to play Fortnite and Halo with friends; working on my Stardew Valley farm or building a story in The Sims 4; and obsessed with Suika game on my phone. The last game I spent over 100 hours in (besides Suika game) is Star fielda game that I thought was kind of “meh” at first, but the more I played it, the more I got sucked into it.
Now it’s time to turn it over to you. What would you like to play this weekend? Leave a request in the comments and I’ll respond to it between 3:30 and 5:30 PM EDT. Details help — let me know what you’re looking for, what your tastes are, and any other relevant information you’d like to share, like what consoles you have access to or what it was about the game you’d like to emulate, if you have anything. I’ll respond to the comments with recommendations — and if I don’t have a great suggestion, I’ll ask the rest of the team.