What students are playing at FWPA

From shots and sports, blocks and builds, and towers and hogs, there are many different video games. With so many types made for different demographics, one can be hard pressed to find someone that doesn’t play any.

There are many different reasons people play video games, most commonly for their entertainment or a good way to pass the time. Even within these categories, there is some differentiation. Some games are played for strategic satisfaction, where you outthink the opponent. Others are played to beat opponents in contests of a particular skill, such as aim. Different games ask for better knowledge, such as GeoGuessr.

Isabelle Ferreira commented that video games are, “A nice way to escape reality and play around. You really can connect with friends over them.” Isabelle likes playing video games for the connection with others. Many games are made solely for how you can play with friends, a popular example being Overcooked. The aim of Overcooked is to control multiple chefs in a kitchen to get an order to their customer in an allotted time frame.

Jackson Souryanonh had a different take on video games: He stated, “I really like FPS. because of how fast paced they are.” The pacing is one of the main focal points of many FPS (first person shooter) games. These games are usually played in teams, with either friends or random people. Most FPS games require fast reactions, quick thinking, and good aim.

In a poll, nearly 25% of respondents said that their favorite was Clash Royale. The game had a recent soar in popularity. William Jameson stated, “I started Clash because of my friends, but the reason I still play today is because of how fast and fun the matches are.” People’s friends playing are a major reason as to why the majority of people have started playing Clash Royale, as well as social media.

Minecraft and Roblox were the runner-ups, both of which being less restricting games where you can do almost anything. Minecraft is popular because of the open world game where you can build, explore, and defeat different enemies with friends or alone. Roblox, on the other hand, is more versatile, where you can play one out of hundreds of thousands of games that are made by different groups.

Jackson picked FIFA World Cup as his favorite video game, his reason being, “It’s based off of a sport that I like, Soccer.” This is not the only game based off of sports that is popular. Games like NBA 2K26 and Retro Bowl are also relatively popular, being based off of basketball and football respectively. This makes sense, seeing as at least in the United States these sports are widely recognized. 

Even with these more widely known games being favorites of some people, the majority of people chose less popular games as their favorite. Games such as Limbus Company and Umamusume: Pretty Derby are smaller games, with around a few thousand players each. 

But whether it be FPS, sports, or Clash Royale, all games are good in their own right, and there is no one video game that is FWPA’s favorite. Everyone has different preferences and will enjoy different things.