On the PC

New job, new city.  And no place around here to really play board games.  There is a store I checked out nearby, but they play terrible games.  I'm a boardgame snob and not ashamed.

There is also a boardgame cafe, but it's an hour away and you have to pay for play space.  I may check it out at some point but I don't like the idea.

So most of my free time right now is alone at my computer watching or playing computer games. Here's what I've been up to:

League of Legends.  

Very popular game.  Very difficult game.

I really appreciate the skill required to be good at LoL.  I love watching major matches (Worlds, anyone?) when I can.

For me, the game is more fun to watch than play.  I get a good idea of what I'm supposed to be doing from watching the pros, but they really do make it look easy.  Mix in the fact that LoL has one of if not the most brutal online gaming environments out there in terms of harassment, and I don't play much.

I threw some games out there for screenshots today though.  I played a game on Jinx because she's the first character I ever played and shoots stuff.

Another free-to-play hero this week is Kennen, who is a ninja.  Ninjas are cool.  Ninja with lightning is cooler.  Zap zap!

The pictures are uninspiring because action shots require too much coordination without dying.

Anyway, I'm terrible at the game.  I like to mess around with characters with fun abilities against A.I. but I don't play enough to be serious.

I've spent tons of time watching pro matches and that's good enough for me.

Heroes of the Storm.

With all that being said, I do like the style of game.  Heroes of the Storm is Blizzard's version of LoL.  It's quite simplified.  No gold, no items, no last-hitting.  All that matters is soaking up experience as a team an picking up ability boosters or skills every few levels.
Is that better than LoL?  Not from a "is this game better" standpoint, but for someone who is terrible it simplifies things.

In fact, I haven't been doing too badly.  The game is more brawl like, with very important objectives that force team fights early and often.  For me, it's more fun to play.

And the best part is no one has gone nuts at anybody in chat for playing badly in the games I've played so far.  In competitive mode I expect more of that, but in basic games I've seen none.  HUGE plus for me.  I don't like being yelled at.

My favorite character right now is Valla, a full attack assassin character who shoots arrows fast.

I may get into HoTS more seriously as I play more.  Hopefully I can get good enough.

Overwatch

I've been playing Overwatch since the open beta.  I'm on board.  Rather than the other two games which is straight up MOBAs, Overwatch combines the online battle arena with first person shooter and a super fast pace.

I've logged a lot of time on Lucio, a speed boosting, shield-giving, area of effect healing roller blade dude.  Mostly at the beginning I played him because of a general refusal of random internet teammates to play anyone but damage dealers.  Now I've logged enough time on him to where I feel like I know what I'm doing.

There's (mostly) very little harassment in this game's quickplay as well though sometimes there an outlier who doesn't understand that "quick play" means "not serious" and forgets that games are supposed to be fun.
I've even played competitive mode and the toxicity there is pretty minimal as well it seems.  Good.

Overwatch is solid and I can fit in a few games here and there without a huge time commitment.

I have an antivirus update.  Always bothers me in the middle of a game even though I set it to stop doing that.  It's a jerk.

I need to start playing some of my solo board games at the very least.  I miss the feel of cubes and meeples.