Reminiscing: My Favorite Games of the Decade (2010-2019)

It's strange to think back on the past ten years, how long it's been, how many things have happened for better and worse, and all the people I've met and lost since I was sixteen years old in high school and driving my first run-down vehicle. The things that are easiest (or most comfortable) to think back on are all the games I've played and which ones have stuck with me in some way, and on cold lonely nights it's nice to reminisce on the games and all the people I played them with.

So, here are some of my favorite games of the past ten years, in no particular order for any list.

Top Ten Favorite Tabletop / Pen and Paper RPG Books

Dungeon World (Powered by the Apocalypse)
Fiasco
Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica (Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition)
Numenera
Kids on Bikes
Predation (Cypher System)
Blades in the Dark (Powered by the Apocalypse)
Weird Discoveries: Ten Instant Adventures for Numenera
Starfinder
Band of Blades (Forged in the Dark)

Honorable Mentions
Consent in Gaming (Monte Cook Games)
Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes (Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition)
Shadows of Esteren
Symbaroum
Dragon Age RPG

Top Ten Favorite Video Games

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
StarCraft 2 (Wings of Liberty, Heart of the Swarm, Legacy of the Void)
Bloodborne
God of War (2018)
Spider-Man (2018)
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
The Outer Worlds
Portal 2
Mortal Kombat X
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Ori and the Blind Forest
(actually eleven because cutting one of these is impossible)

Close to the Top

Dark Souls
Guilty Gear Xrd
Doom (2016)
Overcooked 1 and 2
Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver
Until Dawn

Honorable Mentions (too many good games to shorten)
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix
Darkest Dungeon
Beyond: Two Souls
Batman: Arkham City
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
The Witness
Terraria
Control
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
P.T.
Transistor
Pokémon (Black/White, Black/White 2)
Her Story
Killer Instinct
DmC: Devil May Cry
Resident Evil 2: Remake
Nidhogg
Fire Emblem: Awakening
Death Stranding
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Cuphead
Chivalry: Medieval Warfare
Shadow of the Colossus Remastered
Lost Planet 2
Darksiders 1 and 2
Final Fantasy XV
Age of Wonders: Planetfall
Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 (Zombies) and 4 (Blackout)
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
Opus Magnum
The Last of Us
Titanfall 1 and 2
Metro: Last Light
Singularity
Bioshock Infinite
Dishonored 1 and 2
Gears of War 3
Bulletstorm
Apex Legends
Celeste
Papers, Please
Dragon Ball FighterZ
Risk of Rain
Diablo III and Reaper of Souls
Persona 5
The Banner Saga
XCOM 2
Evolve
Monster Hunter World
Rayman Legends
Guild Wars 2
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
Crysis 2 and 3
Journey
Spyro Reignited Trilogy
Pathfinder: Kingmaker
Hyper Light Drifter
Resident Evil 7

Every single game here was impactful at the time I played them, from single player to cooperative and competitive to speedrunning. But the best ones captured my attention for a long time and had a deep, lasting impact on me as a gamer as well as a writer and game designer, and even as a teacher or mentor in some cases. There are a dozen tabletop and video games that could have been my favorite or close to it but that I didn't get a chance to play; here's hoping I can play a lot more this year in 2020 and throughout the rest of the next ten years. The next ten years... It feels like a lifetime.