With the post-E3 lull before the September/October/November blockbuster window, I thought I could chip away at my game backlog. But with the steady flow of re-released indies hitting the Switch and older games getting massive updates, my pile of shame grows bigger every day.

After building my first PC a year ago, the one thing that still feels overwhelming is the world of gaming peripherals. Trying to decipher what the hell a refresh rate is or the speed of my mouse’s DPI sounds intimidating, but seeing how these things impact competitive gaming on my sweet rig is something I’m still learning.

There are certain games that you play to feel an adrenaline rush, and others that you play when you need to just chill after a stressful day at work. Relaxing games can work wonders for catching up on podcasts, brainstorming, or if you need to put your brain on autopilot while you sort out some things in your head.

Sometimes, a game that I fell in love with takes a wild left turn and breaks my heart with a punishing save system or a never-ending final section. When a game does you wrong, that means it’s time to break up.

Sometimes I’ll remember a game series that disappeared into the ether that used to be a huge part of my life. With so many remasters and ports popping up, it got me thinking about those games that I would love to see make a comeback.

Art is always going to express a certain point of view because ultimately, whatever form it comes in, art is made by human beings. It's a responsibility that can sometimes feel weird in big-budget games that don't double down on the questions they present and treat real life-inspired issues like theme park attractions.

I've always been fascinated by those games that we return to over and over again. I like to refer to them as "forever games". They are the ones you've either played since you were a child, or the ones that feel like favourite movies you know line by line.

There are so many games and just never enough time. Sometimes I'll put a game on ice so I can return to it later, especially if it doesn't click for me at first. But a certain kind of guilt can bubble up inside me if the urge to pick a certain game back up doesn't kick in.

Ever since video games showed up in the living room, there have been weird ways to interact with them. From the joystick to the Joy-Con, hardware manufacturers are always trying to cook up the best version of the video game controller.

There are some games that hit all my personal sweet spots, games that make me want to scream how good they are from the top of the Brooklyn Bridge. But sometimes there are games that come with huge caveats.

Far Cry 5 lets you play as a man or woman. I was surprised to find that option when I started the game. And it got several of us on staff thinking: When presented with the option, do you play as a man or a woman in video games? And are there any series where you'd like to see them switch it up?

With many games asking players to spend dozens of hours in them to see their endings, it can be a game in itself deciding which ones are worth finishing.