The Gamethinker Detox

Attention, all gamethinkers! Have you found yourself in a rut recently? Have the hidden gems begun to wear you down? Have you started using terms such as "ludonarrative dissonance" in your reviews and it's starting to freak you out? Do not fear; we have a solution! Introducing the Gamethinker Detox, a thirty-game program designed to realign your tastes and get you grounded again! Experience a collection of titles that are almost all overwhelmingly fine (with some exceptions), and use them as a guide to experience the industry the way that most people do! Use the challenges to point you towards a variety of games that'll be trash, games that'll be okay, and potentially even some games that'll blow you away. You never truly know what you're going to get with the Gamethinker Detox! Take on just a couple of challenges, or run the entire course; it's up to you and you alone! No matter how you try our program, there's a little something for everyone in the Gamethinker Detox!

Linked games are examples; part of the detox is picking your own games that fit the criteria! Completing games is not required, but is recommended. Do not attempt to do the entire detox within thirty days, as you will not have enough time. Try to avoid replaying games you've already played before unless the challenge demands otherwise.

Heavily inspired by this list from Louis Day on Letterboxd.

Play a game written by David Cage.
Play a game with a positive user score on Metacritic, but a mixed/negative critic score.
Play a game that was available at the Scholastic Book Fair.
Play a game with less than a 2.5 rating on Backloggd.
Play a sports game.
Play a free mobile game.
Play a game based on a movie.
Play a parody game.
Play a game you liked as a child with a sub-3.0 rating on Backloggd.
Play a remake of a game that has a lower Backloggd score than the original.
Play a guilty pleasure.
Play the last-gen version of a game (eg. if it was on PS4, play the PS3 release).
Play a DOOM clone.
Play a handheld port of a console game.
Play a game starring Troy Baker.
Play a game adaptation of a series that has already been adapted into a video game at least ten times.
Play a game in a series past its prime.
Play a game by Bloober Team.
Play a Spike Video Game Awards Cyber Vixen of the Year nominee (NOT winner).
Play a game released on at least eight different platforms.
Play a game developed and/or published by a toy company.
Play a studio's debut game.
Play a multiplayer-only game.
Play a sequel with a "4" in the title. (NO ROMAN NUMERALS.)
Play a game where a real-world celebrity is a playable character.
Play a game that was a commercial flop.
Play a game that Markiplier has completed.
Play a game whose YouTube trailer has over 10 million views.

9 Comments


7 months ago

Youre on (like donkey kong)

7 months ago

I think if you subject someone to this it will kill them.

7 months ago

@Chef033 if someone willingly takes this on then its their own fault.

7 months ago

ngl I'm tempted to do this (albeit deliberately choosing games that are easy to emulate and/or short so it's not too much of a time/financial commitment) just so I can have the "honor" of being the sole human masochistic enough to do so

7 months ago

@BigGnome salute to the real soldiers out here

7 months ago

this list makes i love you colonel sanders look like elden ring

7 months ago

Sir you've quite possibly made one of the most evilest things I've ever seen on this site in awhile.

I'd try this list out myself but I have enough on my plate as it is and I'd rather not participate in the video game marathion equivalent of the Stanford Prison Experiment.
good list

7 months ago

Soul cleaning shit right here


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