Video games have been rising to the top as one of the most valuable forms of entertainment over the past couple of years, and the pandemic has only boosted their popularity. At The Howler, we’ve covered the flourishing esports scenes with their large stadiums, loyal fans and hard-working athletes. But it’s important to take a step back from the star-studded stages of esports and look at what truly brought gaming  to the spotlight in the first place: how much fun they are. Here is a look at a few of the games played by Northwood students, and the stories they have to share.

League of Legends:

When talking about video games, few are as iconic as the multiplayer online battle arena “League of Legends,” or simply “League.” This easy-to-learn (yet difficult-to-master) game is a timeless classic that has been around since 2009, and has amassed over 115 million players worldwide, making it one of the most played games of all time. It comes as no surprise that many students at Northwood are a part of “League”’s community, each player with their own collection of hilarious moments. 

“A couple of my friends and I spent an entire game trying to utilize this character Zac’s split ability,” sophomore Alexander Lin said. “Upon elimination, he gets split up into four objects, and certain abilities allow you to teleport directly back to the shards he splits into. It was something that definitely shouldn’t have worked to get us the win, but it did; we were in hysterics the whole time.”

Apex Legends:

The battle royale genre used to be quite the fad throughout 2018, with anywhere from 50 to 100 players battling it out on one giant map, fighting for resources. While many consider battle royale games to have waned significantly in their popularity, few can deny that Respawn Entertainment’s “Apex Legends” is far from dead. With the game’s ninth season just beginning, “Apex Legends” has continuously offered new content for its players over the years. Its high-octane yet precise gameplay allows for intense climaxes that make the success of skillful plays well worth it.

“I don’t think there’s anything else in the game that beats the feeling of a one-versus-three clutch for the win,” senior Lucas Nguyen said. “That feeling of defying all odds and pulling through purely off your skill is an amazing experience, and is what keeps me hooked to the game. But at the same time, there’s also the little things that give you a lot of enjoyment, such as the movement system of the game. The ability to constantly run, jump, slide and wall climb makes you feel really cool while you’re playing, something not a lot of games can pull off.”

Minecraft:

“Minecraft” is also another highly successful video game that took the world by storm due to the immense freedom it gives the player while remaining very simple in its objective: to unleash your creativity. Arguably one of the game’s greatest features is the ability for players to create their own custom servers where they and others can participate in different minigames together. Some of the more well-known servers, such as Mineplex, the Hive and Hypixel, have millions of individual players, some of whom have created many great friendships there. 

“I met this player on Hypixel in a minigame called ‘Skywars,’ and I remember that he was awful at the game,” junior Kevin Hong said. “He didn’t know how to do the most basic of things like attack and build. The crazy part was when I found out he went to Northwood, and we became really close friends who still hang out with each other to this day. A couple of my other friends and I taught him how to play and now he’s better than me, which is pretty funny.”