Games Pedersens Play

I spend a fair amount of time playing computer games. Whether you would consider me a "gamer" or not depends on your definition of that term. If you're passionate about that definition, I probably don't fit.

The games I choose are based on the following things I've learned about myself:
* I play for entertainment. I enjoy a challenge, but too much challenge means frustration. When I want a huge challenge, I do one of my cranium-crushing crosswords.
* I have very little manual dexterity and a lousy reaction time. So I have no realistic chance of being successful enough at an action game to enjoy it. So, while I've never TRIED "Modern Warfare", I just can't imagine having the fun others do.

(This would be me playing a combat game: *start* *SPLAT* *restart* *SPLAT* *restart* *SPLAT!* "Gee, I wonder what I've got on my DVR?")

Taken together, these factors put me at home with what are called "casual" games. These games are designed to be easy to learn, so that you don't need an hour with an instruction manual to get started. They're typically limited in length as well - I can finish most of the games I play in an evening.

The games I enjoy most are "hidden object" and casual adventure games. In a hidden object game, the player is presented with a cluttered scene and given a list of objects to be found in that scene. In the older games of this genre, that's pretty much the whole gameplay, and the stuff you looked for was often silly, like hotdogs. In the last few years, however, this genre has been sort of morphing into adventure games of sorts: some of the objects you find are used to solve problems that move you towards some objective. If the plot isn't TOO absurd, that's enough for me.

So, I'm not up to taking on dragons or virtually defending our nation from zombies, or terrorists, or even zombie terrorists. But I have a great time with what I do play!