Top 5 Games To Play During Riot Times

There's still a fire burning in the world, to halt police violence and demand that black lives matter. Even tonight, there aren't many signs that this unrest will end. Rather, this societal breakdown that started in the United States of America has been growing globally, sparking protests in countries like Germany or Japan. Some of us are slowly getting to a mental overload, as examples of cops using excessive force and complacent industries continue to flood our feeds.

Games serve as escapism, always, but at this time, it's also important not to look away completely, lest we ignore there being a major crisis altogether. Here are the top 5 games that can give you a different stimulant for a while, without detracting you from the fact the world needs radical change to become better:

 

Bury Me, My Love

While Bury Me, My Love isn't a direct correlation with current protests against police brutality and inequality, it certainly is a story about struggle and conflict. This game centers around the phone conversations of husband and wife, Majd and Nour respectively, who are Syrian refugees. Nour attempts to find safety, by traveling to Europe, while Majd stays behind. The uncertainty, separation and danger that emerges at both ends will slowly show through texts and pictures on a cell phone. Bury Me, My Love is a story about wanting better in life and the scary journey that requires.

Riot: Civil Unrest

On the nose, certainly, but if gamifying current events is the only way for you to engage, then Riot is just that. The game plays out quite like the classic Syndicate, by instructing crowds and employing weapons, to fight the other side. Unfortunately, there's not much more than this milquetoast approach of either playing the cops' side and oppressing the crowds or being angry, violent masses armed with firebombs. At the very least it's a competent facsimile that has one riot scenario, asking players to solve the problem one way or the other. It's a pretty straight shot, no matter what side you support.

Papers, Please

The story of oppression is a bit different in this narratively driven game, as players are simply asked to do their job as border control personnel. Along the way, they'll need to choose between caring for their family or responding to requests from denizens. This simple choice is quickly more complicated than it seems, all the while demanding the player to perform perfectly or get punished. Papers, Please is a cult classic at this point, but those who haven't played it, should likely make time for it now. Even those who obey the authorities perfectly may find this as less than fruitful.

Tooth and Tail

As a strategy game about warring rats, Tooth and Tail might be the most abstract example in the bunch. The story of the rat factions, however, is dripping in revolutionary ideals. Between the traditional real-time fights, the player regroups at the faction's headquarters, planning ahead and listening to how their group is experiencing the conflict. Starving rats are out for blood, as they try to secure their next mail and, thereby, ensure survival. In this game, the goal is quite literally to eat the rich.

We Happy Few

We Happy Few was tarnished by early press, due to the survival mechanisms within not matching the Bioshock aesthetic, but that tale of a dysfunctional society is still there. Citizens are seen as content on the surface, but really their happiness is propped up by distractions and propaganda, as anyone peering through the smoke is deemed an undesirable and beaten down by the police state. I don't know how more applicable that could be.
 

Daav Valentaten, NoobFeed
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