A LIFE OF THEIR OWN
THE MOST SUCCESSFUL VIDEO GAMES TODAY SURPRISE AND DELIGHT—AND FLOURISH ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
“LIFELIKE REALism”—in the world of video games, at least— has long referred to audiovisual fidelity. But some of the best new games are creating experiences for players that feel lifelike in a different way: by mirroring the vastness and complexity of daily life. Yes, the Manhattan Bridge gleams recognizably in Insomniac Games’ Spider
Man 2. But as you swing through New York City, it’s the snatches of overheard conversations from the nonplayer characters around you— about a new nannying gig or an upcoming game night with friends—that feel as random and numerous as any chatter you’d hear from the city’s actual 8.8 million residents.
Credit the sheer size and scope of videogame budgets, which empower gamers with more choices than ever. Players of Nintendo’s Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom can craft weapons and flying machines that are limited only by their imagination. In Baldur’s Gate 3 by Larian Studios, flipping a coin down a well could unspool an epic adventure into a vast and hidden underground world or not, echoing life’s unpredictability.
It’s no wonder that users are increasingly heading to social media to consume content about games and post their own gameplay. “People now share their ingame experiences on social media the same way they post about concerts, holidays, and meals,” notes Karol Severin, senior games analyst with MIDIA research. Gaming content received 3 trillion views on Tiktok in 2022, according to the app, and more than 50% of its viewers watched it daily. With its ability to hyper-tailor content to individual tastes—and feed gamers ideas of what they want in their next challenge—the Tiktok algorithm is now a crucial part of many games’ marketing strategies.
But games don’t need to have vast budgets to make players feel alive. In the hit Steam game Lethal Company, which was developed by a single person, Zeekerss, teams of space travelers on faraway moons run from monsters, abandon one another in fear, and face life or death at every turn. The result? Stories of death and survival that players can’t wait to share and stream on Tiktok and beyond. —Burt Helm