Shifting into Gamer Mode
It's kind of a (seasonal) phase
Lately I’ve been playing a fun (and slightly creepy) video game called The Dream Machine. My partner Ryan showed it to me a few weeks ago and it felt like just the thing to get into now that the weather is getting cooler and we’re spending more time indoors.
Without spoiling too much, The Dream Machine follows the story of Victor, a 30-or-40-something-year-old guy who just moved into a peculiar apartment building with his wife. The property is owned and operated by an oddball landlord named Mr. Morton, who hides quite a few secrets from his tenants.
Victor eventually uncovers Mr. Morton’s extensive research into the “dreamscape” — an unconscious plane of existence (based off of Jungian and Freudian philosophy) that we all share when we fall asleep. For the larger part of the game, Victor finds himself using fantastical technology to enter the dreamscape and explore the dreams of people around him, including his wife and newly acquainted neighbors. The game is presented in chapters like a novel, and I have to admit that it playing it feels similar to reading a real page-turner.
I love any story that has to do with dreams, probably because I have a lot of weird ones myself. But it’s not just the subject matter that makes The Dream Machine so fun to play. It’s like watching a claymation film that you’re actually part of, playing the role of Victor as he makes increasingly weird discoveries and explores the unexpected (and sometimes disturbing) realm of dreams.
I guess that’s the beauty of simple point-and-click adventure games — they’re kind of like interactive movies. And what’s a cozier thing to do in the fall than curl up on your couch and watch a good story unfold?
I’m glad I heard about The Dream Machine when I did, because we’re starting to get into the season where I play a lot more video games than the rest of the year. Once it’s cold outside, my desire to leave the house drastically decreases, and my interest in all kinds of games skyrockets. (Yes, we play a lot of board games in the winter too, but that’s a topic for another post.)
This past summer, I got worried for a second that my interest in video games was permanently waning. When the latest Zelda game, Tears of the Kingdom (TOTK), came out in May, I was super excited — but I didn’t spend nearly as much time absorbed in it as I thought I would.
It turns out the seasons are to blame. I’m starting to realize that there are some games in my collection that are more desirable to play in the summer, while others are definitely winter games. Anything story-heavy or open-world is a winter game. TOTK and The Dream Machine are perfect examples of winter games in my book.
Coincidentally, I also recently found myself playing Minecraft this month for the first time in years, which I’m also chalking up to the changing seasons. That one is also definitely a winter game (especially if you’re playing on creative mode).
On the flip side, there are some video games that I do enjoy playing in the summer. I got into Stardew Valley over the past few months because it’s an easy one to pick up and play for just 15-30 minutes and then put down again. And multiplayer games like Mario Kart and Super Mario Party are fun year-round, since they also take a relatively short time to get through and require social interaction.
But the causal nature of summer gaming is really no match for the immersive experience of entering a virtual world on a cold, blustery winter day when you don’t want to move but a few short steps from your warm bed. There are many titles I abandoned once the weather warmed up several short months ago that I’m looking forward to picking up again soon, and really giving them my full attention.
I think Skyrim is gonna be a familiar hit for me this winter, as it has been for the past three years (I’m on the same game I started back in 2020 and basically just doing side quests). And I’m almost to the end of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, but I put it down after getting frustrated with how much time it takes to complete the Pokédex. Once it’s too cold to feel my face outside, I think I’ll be more keen on tackling that challenge.
For now, I’m gonna get to the end of The Dream Machine and figure out what lies in the center of the dreamscape. (If you give this game a try yourself, let me know what you think of it!)