Gaming On My Mac

You may have heard of the popular game Stardew Valley. I sure have; it was on my wishlist for years — until this week. Now it’s on my backlog since plunking down $14.99 for it on Steam. Wait, am I switching from gaming on my Nintendo Switch? Maybe, kinda, sorta?

Well, not really.

I’ve still got several must-play games awaiting me on Switch, so that’s not going away. But I did make a conscious choice to buy Stardew Valley on Steam instead of for Switch. I could have ordered a physical copy, which is preferred/ideal.

I opted for the “PC” version because:

• Being originally designed for PC, it might be best played via mouse/keyboard.
• In general, I want to try gaming on my portable MacBook with its nice 13” display.
• In particular, Stardew Valley is a long, open-ended, casual/cozy game that, I think, will be best enjoyed via the convenience and comfort of my laptop.

Gaming on the Mac seems more accessible or convenient than on my Switch. How so?

• My laptop is often within reach at home. But my Switch mostly lives in its dock.
• My laptop is always with me at work, so I can easily game during lunch. No need to also tote my Switch to the office.
• Gaming on a 7” handheld isn’t bad. But gaming on a 13” laptop is better for my 46 year old eyes.

Using my MacBook to game would also make it far more valuable to me. It’s already super useful for productivity and entertainment; the addition of gaming sweetens the deal.

It may also simplify things. I won’t kid myself, thinking I’ll abandon my Switch in favor of my MacBook and iPhone for games. But I admit the appeal of that minimalistic ideal. Less is more — until I want to play Zelda!

I doubt gaming on my Mac will become a big thing for me anyways since there are not many mainstream AAA titles available on Mac via Steam — most are on Windows. But there are some great Mac-compatible games on my Steam wishlist:

• Stray
• Baldur’s Gate III
• No Man’s Sky
• Chained Echoes
• Cities: Skylines

Those would keep me busy for a long time (in addition to Minecraft — the Java version runs excellently on my M1 MacBook). And if those couldn’t gobble up gameplay hours beyond count, there’s also Stardew Valley, now on my backlog and on my Mac. I’m already playing the game’s original soundtrack; it’s great.