Edge: Small Worlds doesn't feel like a small world. Despite the tiny, pixelated intricacy of its handful of environments, it feels vast, echoing, and lonely: a universe – or perhaps several – stuck inside a bottle. It's a half-hour of non-game that has continued to unravel in my waking thoughts ever since I first played it, and has probably started to intrude into the squawking chickens, treasure maps, and runaway trains of my dreams too.
There’s nothing like a virtual world to spend some time chatting with other players, making new friends and virtually living a second life (pun intended). While there are many such games available, it’s not easy to find the best examples of the genre. So, here are 10 virtual world / social games that just can’t be missed.
While modern gaming has come to rely more and more on ultra-realistic visuals to help gamers immerse themselves in the world they’re playing in, every now and then something minimalistic and yet still incredibly effective will come along and wow us with very little, proving that no matter how many millions of dollars one pumps into a graphics engine, you can accomplish a whole lot with very little if you know what you’re doing.
I thoroughly enjoyed playing this game. The minimalist graphics create plenty of atmosphere while forcing you to use your imagination. The music is also somber yet beautiful.
"I want to spend some time sharing video games I think are more than what we typically expect; titles that can be deep, expressive, exploratory, and even beautiful. It’s during these upcoming months when I’m most willing to expand my tastes; it’s summer, so let’s be more carefree, more expressive, more lustful, more sexy, more fun and more empathetic. Let’s be more everything." - Parker Scott Mortensen, Gamer's Guide to Life
