My new games

I have settled on my new games after a while of hunting around and looking. It has been quite an experience. I have Puzzle Craft on my iPad and that is a brain break game. It’s not very demanding but it is diverting for a while and gives me a chance just to stop and relax a bit. I used FarmScapes on the iPad but have since changed that to my desktop. It’s more demanding than Puzzle Craft but it’s  quite straight forward . The narrative isn’t bad and it includes hidden object and match 3 puzzles to do as well as a bit of farming. Stardew Valley I paid for and downloaded from Steam and it’s been a tough challenge. It doesn’t have support for my game controller and so I am doing everything with a keyboard. That was quite a learning curve. Those who play it on Play Station or X-Box can go so much faster. The pixilated art and retro look of the game are part of its charm. It has really challenged me, my thinking and how I go about games. It keeps me alert and it keeps my brain turning over. From that point of view it is having a big cognitive development impact. I can’t just play it. I have to work it all out. When I do anything there is a big sense of achievement for me because it is so different from anything else I have played. I have just downloaded and installed Anno2205  . I bought the discs thinking the game was on them but you get to download 19 Gb of data!! Could not believe it and it took hours. Lesson learned. I am playing that from the Ubisoft site when I want to but I can play offline. It’s the polar opposite of the other games. Totally high end graphics, total coolness and cutting edge performance. I was so worn out from downloading and installing it I have had hardly a chance to play. I was so glad I knit and crochet so I could get on with things as I monitored the installation. It is different but has the same themes as Stardew Valley. It centres on the environment , the impact of big corporations and sustainability but it comes at it from a different angle and that angle is visually very rich. This game will require me to step up and really sort out my thinking and game playing skills. All my games are designed to contribute to my learning and life and I am happy with my choices now. Taking on new games mean you have to adapt and learn to think outside your comfort zone. It’s a challenge in itself finding games which give you the sorts of challenges you need.