Lords of Gaming’s Games We Are Thankful For

Here at Lords of Gaming, we are dedicated writers who pour hours of our lives into not only writing about the medium. But also playing from the earlier days and more so today.

Every year, gamers should look back and remember why they got into gaming in the first place. As some can find themselves playing casually for a few hours a day. Or play every game hardcore to sample the giant buffet today’s gaming landscape offers. Others even become prominent streamers, YouTubers, and even Esports competitors.

But why look back every now and then? To remember what you truly loved back then and what you still find appealing about the medium in general today. As some randomly picked up their first controller or needed an escape during a time in their life, as well as some gamers, use the medium of video games to bond with people they know and love today. Below are some of the stories about the games we are thankful for from our writing staff, all the way to our editorial team.

Suikoden Series from Senior Staff Writer, Chris Jones

The game and series I am most thankful for which I’m sure everyone who knows me can guess are Suikoden 2 and the Suikoden Series. Growing up I always played games from baseball on Sega Game Gear to Excitebike, Mario, and others on NES and onward. I would say I was never really appreciative of games and gaming until the first time I saw Suikoden game when my biological mom was playing Suikoden 2. Once I played a part she was struggling on and beat that I was interested in it. Suikoden 2 really grabbed me and made me understand the work and be appreciative of what went into a video game.

From the music helping me understand the importance of situations going on even as a kid to the amazing cast of characters in each game with unique stories that they bring to the table to help the hero. Countless hours even now have gone into the series so I can get lost in a world and relax. Especially during the holidays and time out of school or off from work sharing the memories of these games with friends and family is something I have always loved doing. Without Suikoden 2 and the Suikoden series, I wouldn’t have fallen in love with gaming and wouldn’t be the person I am today. So I am thankful for Suikoden 2.

The Unsung Heroes of the Open-Source Community from Senior Staff Writer, Eugene Schaffmeir

Today I am thankful for the Open-Source community. This summer, before my Steam Deck could even arrive, an entire collective had already migrated and documented the open-source Linux tools that I use. No megacorporations, no names, no faces, no money, for free these people took days out of their lives to make everyone elses better. A thankless effort that has been consistent within the games industry since the dawn of the internet. Thank you to an entire community of unknowns for preserving retro games.

Community efforts did not stop with the Steam Deck. This month a group called Insignia brought Xbox Live back to the original Xbox for Xbox Live’s 20th anniversary. They did this just for fun. Meanwhile, the Cyberpunk 2077 community has maintained over 4,000 mods this year. Many of these mods are focused on improving the game with small tweaks.

With that, I say thank you to the thankless.

The Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild, by Raphael Oppenheimer

Sometimes people lose touch with gaming, either through decreased free time as the vagaries of adulthood absorb more and more of the day’s limited hours, or through a notion that they have outgrown the activity. Personally, I experienced the former as I allowed for less and less time with video games until one day I eventually stopped playing altogether. It wasn’t an abrupt end but suddenly a decade had passed and I hadn’t purchased a new console or played much of anything at all outside of a social gathering.

This is why I’m very thankful for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. 2019 was a difficult year for me professionally and personally. I was having difficulty with the typically 60+ hour work weeks I was expected to maintain and questioning if I could afford to stay in my apartment when I lost my roommate. On a whim that March I bought a Nintendo Switch and one game, Breath of the Wild. The Legend of Zelda had been a mainstay from my childhood and I had previously always looked forward to playing the newest release. But I hadn’t played any games in the series since Twilight Princess at that point and didn’t know what to expect.

While not a perfect game, Breath of the Wild brought me back to the childlike wonder I experienced through video games and helped me to contextualize the stress in my life. I’ve since rededicated myself to the hobby and had wonderful experiences from the games I missed over the prior decade. But that’s thanks to the reignited spark I received from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Ready 2 Rumble Boxing, from Editor In Chief, Mahmood Ghaffar

One of the games that I will be eternally grateful for is Ready 2 Rumble Boxing on the Sega Dreamcast. I was fortunate enough to save up and get the console at launch, but since I didn’t have a driver’s license and wanted to be there for the midnight release on 9-9-1999, my oldest brother took me.

When we got home, we tried booting up Sonic Adventure, but it didn’t work. Turns out, the game suffered from widespread disc issues. So, my brother and I were left with Ready 2 Rumble. And boy, it was perfect. We had an absolute blast and forgot about time and played all the way to the morning. We learned a ton of new tactics and strategies to outclass each other.

My brother is 9 years older than me and the age gap was noticeable when we were younger. But Ready 2 Rumble smashed that gap and it brought us closer together. It is a fond memory that I will keep with me for the rest of my life.

Destiny 2 by Senior Reviews Editor Josh Reding

We have written a lot here at Lords of Gaming about Destiny. After all, it is the game that launched our sister show the Iron Lords Podcast, and is directly responsible for the creation of this website. Yet, all the lore dives and news updates, and podcasts can’t adequately convey the importance of the game to me. Four years ago, my brother, Jake, was deployed to the Middle East as part of his duties in the Army National Guard. He was there for a full year, missing out on so many of his newborn sons growing up. My wife and I were fortunate to be living in England at the time, which enabled us to be within a reasonable number of time zones for my brother. That time proved to be invaluably precious.

My wife and I spent untold hundreds of hours running strikes, raiding, and doing crucible quests while keeping my brother company while he was deployed. He worked long hours, but still found time to play with us on his terrible wifi. It was time that I never would have had with my brother and we made great friends in the raiding community. Our sherpa, Christopher Page, became one of my best friends. Destiny 2 is an exceptional game because it brought me closer to some of my favorite people in the world. It is the game that I am most thankful for.

Fable and Warframe from Assistant Editor, Joseph Repko

I had a lot of trouble growing up. As my parent’s marriage fell apart when I was 8 and having to start the working life that I still have 6 years later. I had to lot to process between not being able to attend school and not having the freedom or joy that most of my peers had at their ages. When my oldest brother George had to start working at an early age as well. I had basically taken over the Xbox he had bought and began playing the original Fable to take my mind off my decaying family at the time.

While this sounds like a sob story if Fable was not there for me to constantly play in the world of Albion. I might have ended up being in a worse state in life than I am now or probably be in some modern news story. The morals you learn at an early age carry with you into your adult life and sadly, I did not have much guidance outside of that game. Now, Lionhead is not around either, sadly. Thank you for everything to keep me sane back then.

Moving along into 2016, when Destiny was at an all-time low before Rise of Iron. My friend Logan had enough of my complaining and guided me to a game I play on a daily basis and now even write about, Warframe. It wasn’t just the free-flowing stealth action gameplay. Or the endless variety in its weaponry and warframes. Or even the amazing story and soundtrack. It was the near-perfect mixture of all of these elements that made me realize I did not have to be endlessly toxic toward a live service game in its lull periods and just enjoy other games. Crazy, right?

I will always be thankful to George and Logan for being there to guide me to happier places. As well as being filled with excitement for the new Fable. As well as The Duviri Paradox for Warframe. But, if it were not for Lords of Gaming and the amazing crew filled with endlessly talented writers. I would not be even sharing this story along with theirs.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, and apologies to our Canadian readers for not having a similar article during your celebrations. Thank you for your continued support!