Fun read, thanks for the writeup!

I’ve also really enjoyed myself some Timberborn 🙂 glad to hear your thoughts!

Mods are allowed, but you’re not allowed to make any for you to play. You can try to commission someone else to make them for you, though

For gamers looking for ways to “get a new game” while still staying under these restrictions, it seems you pick a game with a ton of mods and an easy-to-mod and/or well-documented codebase so that the modders you hire are more willing to say yes to you.

• The Sims (not sure which one though)
• Skyrim (all the mods)
• Stardew Valley (mods, plus has been go-to #2 for gaming with friends in my social circles)
• Minecraft (mods, plus has been go-to #1 for gaming with friends in my social circles)
• Factorio
• Pokémon Soul Silver (we have ROM hacks!)
• Crusader Kings 3
• I was going to put a puzzle game here but I sadly don’t remember which one
• either Kittens Game or Antimatter Dimensions. Long-lived incremental games. Gave up on Antimatter Dimensions after a certain point, but it by far has the most of my Steam hours. Limited to 10 games I’d probably pick it back up again.
• either holding out for some masterful innovation in the visual novel genre, specifically one aimed at women; or Infinity Nikki, because if I get all the DLC automatically (or magically through an unlock process more like that in pay-once games) that means I can just enjoy a pretty game and forget about all the gacha stuff.

As much as I like Timberborn, I do wonder about its replayability value. Near endgame, I kind of run out of stuff to do. Although its mod scene is definitely growing, so that should help.

work to improve the skill gap or draw 20

acknowledge that one singular woman is currently better than you at this one particular skill or draw 20

man it’s like there are options that don’t involve aggression towards another person for… not being bad at a video game

I count myself lucky the men I know in real life are chill, and that I am not too interested in PvP games, scared off by the constant reinforcement from stories online that someone will be shitty to me because I am a woman. When I did play TF2 it was always pubs mic off and with a very gender-neutral username.