Controller in Hand, Stress at Bay: 5 Video Games to Keep an Eye Out for

Medical school is a tough experience. Leaving Alexander Brown Hall in the early hours of the morning and dealing with classes, practical sessions and patients till dusk (or even midnight) week in, week out is difficult to come to terms with. However, it doesn’t have to be as stressful. There are numerous means one can utilize to cope with the stress of medical school, from the liberal arts to the more scientifically inclined hobbies. Indeed, one of the most popular coping mechanisms used by medical students is gaming, and rightfully so.

Gaming is universally known to be a fun activity. A study done in 2019 demonstrated that approximately 80% of the total number of participants showed a positive change in mood and mentality after taking some video game sessions. So whether you’re a newbie or a well-seasoned player, these video games set for release in the next year will provide a welcome respite and aid you in navigating through the labyrinth of medical school.

5. Autopsy Simulator: Dead Memories

If you’re an efiko with a deep love for pathology and the horrors of that beautiful course, this game is the one for you. In Autopsy Simulator: Dead Memories, you play a middle-aged pathologist whose life has taken a turn for the worst after a career nosedive and the loss of your loved ones. Step into eerie dissection rooms, perform realistic corpse examinations, find unlikely clues and solve disturbing cases of the supernatural variety as well as those closely connected to your troubled past. All without the pungent odour of formalin defiling your senses of course.

4. Game of Thrones: Legends

Based on the wildly popular GoT (Game of Thrones) franchise, this puzzle-driven RPG (Role Playing Game) puts you into the shoes of a leader in Westeros. As the story begins to unravel, you slowly improve your leadership and tactical skills whilst strategically forming a party of champions. Armed with weapons and gear, you all face down and conquer seemingly insurmountable challenges.

3. The First Descendant

In The First Descendant, you play as a “descendant”, an entity whose sole mission is to fight against alien invaders called The Vulgus. These aliens crossed over into our dimension over a century ago and brought with them calamities known as Colossi. Fighting alien horrors beyond human comprehension using advanced mech and guns sounds more fun than battling Bailey and Love on a slow ABH night if you ask me.

2. Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP

What would be the fate of a cute high school girl stuck smack-dab in the middle of an out-of-control zombie apocalypse? Well, the answer is up to you as you take control of the protagonist, Juliet Starling and battle your way through hordes of undead scum armed with nothing but a red lollipop and a hardy chainsaw. (How does she swing it so easily though?)

1. GUNDAM BREAKER IV

Breaking, building and showing off is the nature of the game in this mecha-based bar-brawl instalment. Let your creativity loose by selecting from 250 different base loadouts, and customising and optimising your mecha for maximum combat efficiency. Then hop into battle and unleash unforgiving combos on the enemy! If you’re a fan of the Gundam/mecha genre including shows like Neon Genesis Evangelion, Pacific Rim or Voltron, this game will be a real treat for you. 

Yes, medical school is challenging. But again, it doesn’t have to be overwhelmingly so. Hobbies like reading, playing video games and listening to and/or creating music help to take the edge off the daily medical grind and enable us to recharge and rejuvenate so we can face the next set of challenges with renewed energy and determination.

Adebisi Abdullateef