Nyheder
Games to help you check off your New Year's resolutions
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Brittany Alva
No more finger-pecking while you type: RhythmicTypeX
Typing can be difficult if you didn’t learn how to properly do it at a young age—it’s hard to break those hunt-and-peck habits that have you typing at five words a minute. If you’re trying to improve your typing skills, then check out RhythmicTypeX.
The game teaches players how to type with all ten fingers by using a music method where you type to the rhythm. At the beginning of each 20-minute round, players are assessed on their typing speed and skills. Then, RhythmicTypeX creates a level that's focused on helping you improve, and the performance results at the end help you keep track of how you’re doing. This is particularly great for anyone who’s learning to code.
Learn how to budget: RichBroker
Budgeting is one of the least fun parts of being an adult, and if someone’s New Year’s resolution is to budget better, they probably feel the same way. One way to learn how to really budget is to really play with numbers: watch funds move, learn about purchasing power, and really see how spending money can affect you from an outside point of view.
RichBroker is a real estate management sim that lets you build your real estate empire, starting from the ground up. You’ll get to see the cause and effect of spending money in a virtual playground, which can help you rethink your own money and how you spend it. Who knows— maybe it’ll trigger a love for investing at the same time.
Aim better: AIMX
FPS games are always popular, and if you love them, you know how frustrating it can be to lose because your aim is off. Luckily, improving your shots is fairly easy with the help of games like AIMX.
AIMX takes the ‘practice makes perfect’ approach and lets the player hone their aiming by shooting red circles over and over again. There are plenty of different settings so you can match it to your favorite game, though it uses Fortnite’s character models and POV. However, aim training will translate between games, so even if you play Valorant, training with AIMX will help you.
The best part is that the game is free. And when the reward is improving your aim, why not?
Learn a language: Influent
Many New Year’s resolutions include learning a new language, and there are a lot of games that can help you do this. There are so many different methods of learning a language, and most people agree that immersion is the best way to do this. Influent took that method and created a language-learning game out of it.
While you can simply immerse yourself by switching the language of any game, it’ll more than likely leave you confused from the very beginning unless you have a basic grasp of the language already. Influent drops you into a modern-day apartment and follows you as you learn new words and phrases for everything in that space.
While it doesn’t focus as much on grammar and syntax, that can easily be learned through other things, such as the popular app Duolingo. Building up a vocabulary is always the hardest part of learning any language, and Influent is stellar at that. Additionally, there are 26 languages to pick from.
Find a new hobby: Aquarist
Creating and maintaining aquariums is a great hobby, and it’s a perfect one for New Year’s resolutions. However, it can be pretty expensive, and you have to dedicate a bit of space to it as well, which isn’t realistic for everyone. Aquarist lets you create the biggest and best aquariums all from the comfort of your desk.
Aquarist is part management sim and part aquarium builder. Your goal is to create the best aquarium store from humble beginnings. As you grow, your store can host more and more things, including exhibits that are worthy of museums. It’s a great choice for anyone who doesn’t have the space or money to start a new hobby, and it even relieves a bit of stress as well. Plus, it teaches you a lot of real-life concepts you have to know about if you do have an aquarium, so if you decide you want one in the future, you’ll be better prepared.
Be creative and relieve stress: Pixel Art Coloring Book
If you’re trying to either embrace your creativity or find new ways to relieve stress, then coloring is a great way to do that. For those of you who don’t want to do it physically, a virtual coloring book like Pixel Art Coloring Book is a great idea.
There’s a freedom to coloring that lets people relax, and the free Pixel Art Coloring Book game is perfect for that. The pixelated graphics are great for really zoning out and relaxing while also giving you a way to explore your creative side while not feeling too overwhelmed. With a ton of different features like difficulty settings and turning your images into pixelated coloring pages, it’s hard to ever get bored.
Learn how to play chess: Tabletop Playground
Chess has become more and more popular over the years, and shows like The Queen’s Gambit have a lot to do with that. If you’re trying to learn how to play chess, then there’s no better game than Tabletop Playground.
Tabletop Playground allows players to play nearly any game they want, including chess. It can even be played online with friends who may want to learn as well. Plus, there are a ton of other games. In fact, the sky’s the limit—players can create their own games as well, and they can play community-made games created in Tabletop Playground.
It’s also set up to look like you’re playing physically, which can make it a lot easier to play in real life once you’ve learned. Sometimes games don’t always translate and it can feel awkward to play with people in real life, but this helps with those feelings.
Read more: Disco Elysium
Reading isn’t just about cracking open a book—there are plenty of ways to exercise those brain muscles that don’t include struggling through a classic if that’s not what you’re into. Some games are very literary and require you to read a lot, such as Disco Elysium.
Disco Elysium is a role-playing game where you’re a detective. That’s the basis of the game, the rest is really up to you. The main point of the game is to solve a massive murder mystery, but there are plenty of side quests to do as well. The interactions you have with other characters is all about freedom of choice; you can do and act however you want, whether you want to play the good cop or the bad cop (or even the flirty cop).
The game’s full of text that you’ll need to read, and while it’s fully narrated, there are plenty of moments where you have to read and choose how to respond. Not only is it a great game that won several awards the year it was released, but it’s the perfect game for anyone who wants to delve into the written word.
Finally play Raid: Shadow Legends
Look, everyone’s been spammed with the back-to-back ads for Raid: Shadow Legends. Most people have seen their favorite gaming content creator do some kind of collaboration with the game as well. 2024 is the year to try it out if you haven’t already.
The turn-based action RPG is well-known because of its intense marketing campaign, but it has a lot to offer. With a wide variety of characters to collect and deep team strategies, it can feel incredibly rewarding. It’s pretty easy to play, and it features cross-platform saves, so you can play on the same account between your phone and computer. Be sure to scour the internet before you download to make sure you’ve got the best deal you can, as there are always events, promotions, and free things you can get between the various campaigns with different creators.
While New Year’s resolutions can mean getting away from your desk for some, it doesn’t have to be that way. There are plenty of creative ways to work on these resolutions while also doing something that you love, like gaming. Your creativity is the only limit, so think outside the box and find something that helps you tackle 2024—in fact, you can make that your resolution!