Even though 2020 has been a struggle in other aspects, gaming this year has managed to entertain, shock, and bring people together with their friends even when they could not be there in person. Not only is playing online games with friends a great way to pass the time but so is exploring the virtual world in a single-player experience. So with the end of the year quickly approaching, it is a good time to look back on some of the most enjoyable titles so you can put them on a Christmas list if you managed to miss them. The game genres and the platforms they are played on have varied as much as any other year in recent memory with established first-person shooter franchises mixing with cooperative mobile games. Some of the most popular games and student favorites from the year include Call of Duty: Warzone, Among Us, Animal Crossing: New Horizon, and Doom Eternal. 

  Call of Duty: Warzone is one of the best and most surprising games of the year and is a favorite for experienced gamers to play on their respective console. It is a battle royale game that merges the exploration and survival elements of other multiplayer titles with a last team standing objective. There can be up to one-hundred and fifty players on the huge map called Verdansk, and there are different game modes depending on how many people are in each squad. At the start of the game, teams will land and loot for guns, ammunition, and money to buy upgrades and better loadouts at “buy-stations.” The survival element comes into play when attempting to outlast an incoming circle of gas that condenses the map to smaller areas as the game goes along, forcing teams into conflict. The game is very popular as over seventy-five million people downloaded the free-to-play edition of Call of Duty as of August which has likely grown since then. 

  Another game that took the world by storm during the most restrictive phase of quarantine is the mobile game Among Us. This is a strategic game involving ten crewmates trying to fix up a ship by doing interesting tasks around the map. But the twist comes in that two of the players are actually imposters, working to sabotage other people’s efforts and kill off the other crewmates on the ship. It is important to be sneaky as an imposter and lie convincingly when a body is found to avoid suspicion from others (usually by establishing an alibi). Among Us is commonly played with a large friend group communicating on platforms such as Discord and Skype and is especially a favorite among students at Millbrook. Senior Mason Christy gave his thoughts on why Among Us was his favorite game from this year: “I love the game because it has been super fun playing with friends. I also like how easy it is to play with people on both PC and mobile devices.”

  It is a blessing that during such a hard year for many people that there were a plethora of fun games to play for both experienced and first-time gamers alike. Many people used gaming to take their minds off the COVID-19 pandemic and crazy political discourse that filled news headlines this year. The titles mentioned are sure to remain relevant into the new year as Doom Eternal and COD: Warzone will get updates for the newest generation of consoles that released last month. Be sure to put any games that sound interesting to you on your holiday wish list!