Just wanted to take the opportunity to say that I actually kind of appreciate the sign-up process needing approval? I'm aware there's no quick and easy way to prevent bots and bad actors from tarnishing otherwise comfy spaces, but even just having to apply kinda makes Beehaw feel a bit safer? c:

Thanks for sharing! This loosely reminds me of 'I Hit It With My Axe' (a very, very old series where porn stars played D&D together for the first time). I loved these queens in Drag Race so seeing them playing one of my favourite tabletop games is sure to be a real treat c:

This is how I see it as well. Reddit has been a big part of a lot of people's everyday lives, and to have something so momentous happen seemingly overnight is disruptive and distressing (to varying degrees for different individuals). It's going to take time for us to process what's happened and what that means for us all going forwards. The silver lining is that because a lot of us are going through similar emotions, we can support each other. c:

If you're a fan of Stardew Valley and games like that, might I suggest Disney Dreamlight Valley? While there is a story (and there are extra character-specific quests you can do), you don't have to do them (or indeed anything). You're free to do what you like.

It's currently my go-to game when I want to play something but I'm just not sure what. Running around collecting materials to craft new items to decorate my Valley (or even just seeing what my residents are doing) brings me joy and whiles away the hours before I know what's happening!

Another suggestion would be Slime Rancher, which is another low stakes (potentially no stakes, you can turn off the one 'enemy' in the game that might disrupt your cosy experience - the Tarr slimes) game which has you running (and renovating) a slime ranch (funnily enough). The slimes are adorable, the music is very chill, and the world is so colourful I often enjoy just roaming around enjoying the scenery.

Overwatch 2... :(

Now that's a blast from the past I'd completely forgotten about...!

The ones I remember most vividly were the Disney handhelds (for me, most notably Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas & The Little Mermaid) but I have very fond memories of playing them!

Knowing how game difficulty has changed over the years, I do question whether I'd be able to complete the games with ease now... feels like a lot of the games I played as a kid (like Sonic Adventure 2: Battle) were actually quite hard, or at least I've struggled as an adult trying to replay them!

Seconding Guild Wars 2! One of my favourite things about it is how when it comes to levelling, it supports whatever you want to do. If you literally just want to run around killing things and participating in dynamic events, you get experience for that. If you want to forego combat and just run around exploring the world and seeing what you can find, you get experience for that. If you want less freedom and would prefer a more structured story, guess what, you get experience for that. If you don't want combat or story, and instead would prefer to be a humble craftsman... yep, you get experience for that, too. (I accidentally leveled an alt to 80 just through crafting!)

The combat is a huge selling point for Guild Wars 2 in my opinion, as it spares you the dreaded 'hotbar bloat' of similar MMOs by keeping it simple. Every class/profession gets 5 main skills, 1 healing skill, 3 utility skills and an 'ultimate' skill. On top of that, a few of them may get a few extra buttons (e.g. for directing pets or swapping stances) but that's about it. Additionally, a lot of the content can be completed with any gear and more or less any build; you don't have to worry about minmaxing or being optimal if you don't want to.

The last few games I've played with people have been Guild Wars 2, Overwatch 2, Gunfire Reborn & Tower Unite. c:

If we're also counting browser games, Gartic Phone and Board Game Online.

It really depends! Sometimes we're playing through story together (if there's new stuff out we haven't done yet), sometimes we'll be doing fractals (so technically endgame PvE), sometimes we'll go achievement hunting together or maybe farm if there's something we particularly need for something.

I've been considering trying PvP and/or WvW again, but I'm a little scared because I very much consider myself to be a casual player and I'm afraid I'd be holding my team back with my inexperience. :c

That's very true! I haven't actually tried Guild Wars 2 on the Steam Deck yet myself, personally - the last time I looked, I recall that a fair few keybinds need to be set before it's playable and that seemed a bit too overwhelming to me at the time. Have you tried it? What's it like? c:

My Engineer is my main at the moment, and most of the time I roll through content as Mechanist (because having a pet is so convenient, and the low intensity build is great for ensuring I can play for long periods without my RSI flaring up). When I've dabbled in WvW before, I've done so as Scrapper because I prefer support classes and Scrapper was a pretty good healer back then (I think they might still be okay now?) c:

I know PvP is a little different, so I'm not sure what I'd play for that. What would you recommend?