- Kyle Imberg of Woonsocket, RI: You encountered Kyle on a road trip through Rhode Island you barely remember. You just remember that when you stopped at McDonald’s you asked for Coke and you got Diet Coke. Kyle was your server that day. He couldn’t let go of it. Coke and Diet Coke are so different. How could he forget? So now he’s been living on your roof and trying to figure out how to make it up to you.
- An undisclosed number of raccoons: Raccoons are cute! I like raccoons and want one as a pet. I know it’s a terrible idea, they’re wild animals and not good pets, but I like raccoons all the same. What else can I say?
- Gene Siskel: He didn’t die! He moved up on your roof, and he’s trying out new catch phrases. One of them is “Oh, mama got a spicy gravy biscuit!” I don’t know where it’s coming from, but if you’re wondering why you were hearing that from your roof, like… yeah. That’s why.
- Peter Armitage of Muleshoe, TX: Peter is watching you sleep.
- A disclosed but unreal number of possums: One of them stole my notebook full of What Are You Playing ideas, so if you see it, could you get it back?
Bonus question: How do you handle a friend or loved one trying out your favorite single-player game for the first time?
​Andrew Ross (@dengarsw): It’s going to be a busy weekend for gaming. By the time you read this, I’ll already be battling in the name of spiciness in Splatoon 3‘s Splatfest going on this weekend. I also have Community Day in Pokemon Go with a friend, and I desperately need to work off the holiday calories.
For the bonus question, I often actually try to stay away when someone I know tries out my favorite single-player games, unless they ask me to stick around. They often tell me they initially don’t want to try a certain game because they think it’s overhyped, and me sitting there fanning out won’t help. But, especially with kids, knowing they have someone they can not only fan out with, but also be critical with at their own pace seems to help.
Ben Griggs (@braxwolf): I’ll keep grinding the Schroder dockyard in World of Warships, but I also picked up Hell Let Loose in the Steam Sale and am looking forward to yet another WWII PvP game with an incredibly harsh learning environment!
Bonus question: generally, I do annoying things like watch over their shoulder and say things like “oh this next part is hard!”
Brianna Royce (@nbrianna, blog): I’ll be in Lord of the Rings Online. I may get moving into Gondor finally, but I also may sit back and work on catching up all my crafting across my toons. Or both!
Chris Neal (@wolfyseyes, blog): I feel the need to feed my internet spaceship hunger that rises to the fore now and again, so Elite: Dangerous will likely be top billing. I also have recently tried and enjoyed Cooking Simulator VR, so I’ll probably push my face into that some more.
If possible, one of the first things I do when a friend tries a single-player game I love is watch. Reliving those initial reactions and comparing their approach to things against my own is one of my favorite things.
Eliot Lefebvre (@Eliot_Lefebvre, blog): Finishing up my prep work for Final Fantasy XIV‘s next major patch is going to take up most of my weekend, alongside some games I’m working on reviewing. That’s more than enough for the weekend!
Honestly, I try to avoid being around people trying out games I love for the first time; I offer help happily if they ask for it, and I am eager to share feelings about the major points of the game, but I don’t want to dictate their experience or start pushing them to explore a specific way to play. If someone’s enthusiasm is going to be organic, it needs to come from them, not me telling them what to like.
Sam Kash (@thesamkash): This’ll be another light gaming weekend for me. I’ve got my eyes on Tower of Fantasy but I’m not sure if I really want to get involved in it or not. It’s a big maybe. I messed up and wasn’t able to complete the Wintersday meta in Guild Wars 2 and I think the next festival is around the corner so I might mentally get ready for that by cleaning out some bag space and such.
Bonus: I tend to go very hands off. I like them to appreciate it fresh like I did. Although I do make myself very available for any questions or tips if they need it.
Every Saturday, join the Massively OP community and staff for What Are You Playing, our roundup of what MMORPGs and other games we’re hoping to play this weekend (with a bonus question or two for our amusement). Tell us what you’re up to! Go off-topic! And don’t forget to have fun!
