Hi there, I thought I would try my hand at putting a few ideas online. These are ideas that I really want to talk about but don't seem to find the time to talk about. They might also be concepts that I do get to talk about from time to time, but don't get to go into as much depth as I would like. I imagine this will often look at game design, but I might go into other topics too.
Game I recommend
I was working on another project and was asked to put together a list of games that I suggest people play. I realized that while there are many I love I have never put a list like this together. This will be a living document that I plan to add more games to over time. I think these are all worth a try even if some are games I wouldn't normally care to play. Most will likely be on PC as that is my platform of choice, but expect to see some console games as well. While most of these games aren't hidden gems and you might have
Darkest Dungeon - This game has a unique line based combat system that I have never seen anywhere else. It also does a great job of making the player play as the mayor and being willing to sacrifice heroes they would otherwise care about.
Bioshock - Brought immersive Sims into the mainstream, this explored major philosophical ideas with an engaging story.
Portal 2 - A great way to do a co-op puzzle games in a way that doesn't feel frustrating..most of the time.
D&D - This game is in some way responsible for every video game you have likely played. If you have played a game with any RPG elements (basically everything these days) you have this to thank.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 - The closest to a computer D&D you will ever find, it has near endless things to do and combat that makes you think.
I'm going to list several games by Klei here as they have many great titles and always seem to have an interesting take in any genre.
Don't Starve Together - But as for Don't Starve Together, this is the only survival game I have found that constantly asks the player to adapt to change, and because of this I am excited to go back each time I play. Its also got a mindset tells players it's ok to have fun when most survival games are grim and moody.
Mark of the Ninja - I have yet to see a game do stealth as well as this, it's clear what will alert enemies and makes you feel clever for learning how to use that to your advantage. Many stealth games ask you to sneak but you could just as easily kill everything, in this, you can fight a guard if you get a jump on them but your best bet is to take them out quietly. It has simple controls that make you feel amazing when playing.
Invisible, Inc. - Tactics games are fun but have largely remained the same, but this is a tactics game about stealth and pushing your luck. It's not about killing all the enemies it's about outsmarting them and planning.
Evolve - 4v1 is a genre that is largely unexplored, and while this wasn't able to take off largely due to its focus on asymmetric e-sports, and dark seriousness it's a great way to check out character classes and control of information between players to get them to work together.
Tales of Symphonia - If you have played a Tales game this is likely the one, even if you typically don't like JRPGs I suggest giving this game a try. It's story and characters are amazing and is full of hidden secrets throughout the world encouraging exploration in a way that isn't tedious or annoying. It's combat system has been refined in later installments it's still great on top of being a 1-4 player couch co op experience.
Middle-Earth Shadow of Mordor - The nemesis system, that's all I should need to say. While the game is part of the Lord of the Rings universe it avoids falling into traps about deep lore and sticking to the fellowship. If you want to see what emergent narrative can be in a single player game try it or Shadow of War.
Undertale - While I personally was not a fan of the game you gotta respect a game that gave you the option to avoid all combat and would do some behind the scenes stuff to track your save files. This game made a huge splash when it came out and it worth checking out.
Slay the Spire - A fast single-player rogue-like makes you feel smart and leaves you wanting more. By being a blend of deck builder and rogue-like, with different classes each run will be different and it's up to you to adapt. It's not about twitch reactions or real-time play like most rogue-like games, but all about what you as the player have built, and your understanding of the game.
Ori and the Blind Forest
Ori and the Blind Forest - I'm generally not a fan of platformers, often times they punish failure by making the player by making them repeat what they have already done. But I love Ori, the art is beautiful and when your playing the game just flows perfectly. The bash ability alone makes this worth checking out as it changes the game so much by letting use use enemies against themselves while you never touch the ground.
Ascension - This started out as a deck building board game but I think it plays much better on mobile. Its one of my favorite mobile games largely due to their turn structure allowing each player to take their turn when they get a few minutes. Turns often only last a minute so the game can go quick if everyone is active, but if people are busy throughout the day this lets them take the time they need. The base game is free, but it's still rather cheap if you want to buy all the expansions. I recommend Rise of Vigil/Darkness Unleashed and Gift of the Elements. The first two use an energy system that can change how much you value a card from game to game, while the third has some systems that give you a lot of control over your deck and more interaction between players than any other.
Board Games
If you want to be a designer I highly suggest getting into board games if you haven't already. As a designer they force you to understand the rules of a game without something in the background controlling it all. They cut out all the effects and animation while using minimal art to convey what they game is talking about. And basically strip the game down to the game play alone (though generally aided by having friends around.) Here are a few that I recommend though they might not be the best to start with.
Posthuman - This was my first real experience into what is called Ameritrash games it's a game for up to 6 people (with the expansion) where each player is on their own team, killing zombies and racing to the safe house at the end. You have the ability to trade with other players, but only one player wins. Where this gets interesting is that as you fight zombies you mutate until you become a zombie. When this happens your goal shifts as you team up with all other zombie players to take out the remaining humans.
Pandemic Legacy - Legacy games are a rather new thing in the board game space. The idea being that each time you play the game it changes to reflect what has happened in past sessions. I wont spoil the game, it is core to the experience, but in Pandemic Legacy four players each take on a role of someone part of the CDC and your job is to fight off 4 diseases each month as you learn to cure them and try to avoid letting cities fall.
Mechs vs. Minions - I said before that I love co-op, League of Legends is one of my favorite games, not because of the competitive nature but more so because of the feeling you get when a team in all on the same page. Mechs vs. Minions is a fully co-op game by League of Legends creator Riot Games. This game takes place in that same world, and you play as champions learning to pilot and program mechs to take out armies of board covering minions.
Gloomhaven - This is the hot new game right now, but be warned it is the longest of any on this list. A single session will likely take 2+ hours. You team up with 3 friends as unique heroes in a hex based tactical game as you unlock new missions/stories. As you progress though the game your characters will retire and you will unlock new character classes that play totally different from what you have seen so far. This game does a great job with its class design making each one interesting and appeal to all types of players. I really want to point out their use of a deck rather than a D20 most games would use. This lets you alter the deck as you level up and helps avoid constant low/high roles. I highly recommend this game if you want to go on a long adventure with friends.