Half-Life 2 is a game released in 2004. In the game the player character Gordon Freeman wakes up after a years-long slumber to a dystopian future where the earth is ruled by an alien race that is slowly harvesting all of the earth's resources. Gordon is the key to success to defeating the aliens once and for all.

I like this game because of the simple but effective worldbuilding, the developers made sure that the world works. Compared to newer games it is really simple, but while playing Half-Life 2 I understood why it was so popular when it was released. It will forever remain one of my favourites.

Dishonored is a game released in 2012. In this game you play Corvo Attano, Royal Protector of the Empress. You return from a long journey in search of a cure of the rat plague that has been devastating your city. As you report to the Empress she gets assassinated and her daughter kidnapped. You are blamed for this crime and thrown into prison. Months later you are given the chance to escape by some loyalists of the Empress and your quest to find the princess and to avenge her mother starts.

Dishonored is really up there in the list of my favourites, I even have a small dishonored collection at home. I know I mentioned worldbuilding in Half-Life 2 already, but this game goes beyond just creating a simple world. The developers created a living and breathing world with many different cultures and background characters who all have their own voice.

I love how much you can explore in this game. I have played it so many times and yet I still discover new things, sometimes stuff as silly as a poster I had not seen before. But what sets this game apart from all the others is that you do not have to kill the 'bad guys'. You can either take their life or destroy their life in another sneakier way, but in the latter option they stay alive.

Gone Home is a game released in 2013. Here you play Kaitlin, a girl who has just returned home from a trip through Europe. But when you arrive home, you find that no one is there to welcome you. In this game you make your way through the house and explore. By exploring you put together the story of your sister, the story of your parents and their lives while you were overseas.

Gone home is a very basic game, there is no action, there are no scary bits, it's just you discovering the history of this family with a special focus on the life of your sister. It is a touching beautiful game that you can either rush through or you can take your time to read everything and pick up every item.