We need an 'audiobook game' genre
Yes, I need them at the same time.
Let me paint you a picture
It's 11pm. You had a long day at work/practice/gym/whatever. You're tired. But dammit - there's an audiobook that you're absolutely obsessed with and you need to keep listening.
The problem is - you're so tired that if you just lay in bed and listen... yup, you're asleep already.
If you're like me, there's not only an innate obsession with seeking dopamine - there's a 'science' to it. There's the actual science (ADHD gang rise up!), and then there's the practical science. Some sources of dopamine, love them as I do, are just not enough to satiate my Ferrari brain at 11pm at night after said long day at work/practice/gym/whatever.
Therein lays the rub. I need my audiobook fix, but I also need to stay awake in order to be able to get said fix.
Enter: audiobook games.
Now, there's a very arbitrary criteria to be considered an audiobook game, and I believe I've condensed the criteria down to three critical attributes.
Low Brain Power (LBP)
First of all, RIP LittleBigPlanet. Please don't get mad Media Molecule, but I might steal the acronym to make my point.
Audiobook games require low brain power. For me, the reason is quite simple. An audiobook is painting an entire world with intricate characters and settings. Their development, challenges, celebrations and the like - I need to be able to absorb it all. Sadly, as much as I'd like to - I cannot do my Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth replay while listening to my audiobook.
FuturLab
PowerWash Simulator is back, bubbling with fresh locations, soap-erior equipment and splashy features. Effortlessly transform soiled surroundings into clean, serene scenes, solo or with pals. Satisfaction is a spray away!
My go-to games at the moment to illustrate this point: Powerwash Simulator 2, and Snowrunner.
Powerwash Simulator 2, and games like it, are ultimate LBP entrants to listen to audiobooks. They make me feel like I'm accomplishing a task (aside: have you seen how disgusting the AT-AT is in the new Star Wars DLC?) and yet I can remain completely engaged in the audiobook.
Snowrunner taps into the same feeling that you may have when listening to audiobooks on a commute. For large stretches of the game you are simply driving down a road for several minutes just making sure you stay on the road.
End-game Grind (EGG)
This attribute is where you can let your personal gaming interests shine through.
Above, I referenced Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth above as being a game with a poor LBP rating. While this is often true, especially if you are finding yourself doing a campaign replay, this can differ depending on the activity you might be doing.
Japanese Role-Playing Games (JRPGs), and live service games are huge benefactors of a favorable EGG rating.
Blizzard Entertainment
Sanctuary reaches its breaking point. In Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred, Mephisto’s dark crusade threatens the heart of Sanctuary. Rise as new heroes, uncover the fate of old allies, and forge your legend in the next chapter of the critically acclaimed action-RPG.
As an example, while traditional racing games might constitute a poor EGG rating, maybe you just want to grind out smashable billboards in Forza Horizon 6. Perhaps your character is already geared out, but you need to crank out a dozen more War Plans in the latest Diablo IV season. Perhaps, quite broadly, your party just needs some grinding/levelling in <insert-your-JRPG-of-choice-here>.
Muscle Memory Mechanics (MMM)
Now, I could age myself and make a Crash Test Dummies reference, but I won't. Unless I just did. Anyway...
MMM implies two things. First, the mechanics need to be easily remembered. I can pick up virtually any JRPG and know that my 'X' (or equivalent) button will simply mash on hoards of enemies until they die. Then my numbers go up. God, do I love when numbers go up. The second thing MMM implies is that they are enjoyable enough to do. If doing the fishing game in Stardew Valley wasn't fun, then, well, I think less people would be inclined to fish and thus, Stardew Valley's MMM value would suffer.
ConcernedApe
You've inherited your grandfather's old farm plot in Stardew Valley. Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new life. Can you learn to live off the land and turn these overgrown fields into a thriving home?
But what does it all mean?
We need a genre. Or sub-genre. Whatever. Something. I need to know what games fit the above criteria without having to think too much about it. And you know what? I don't think I'm alone.
What games do you consider worthy of an audiobook games genre? Let me know! I need more games to add to my list.
~GRIDDLY
GRIDDLYBEAR is an Indigenous and neurodivergent Canadian, father, husband, brother, and goof. He streams on Twitch twice a week, and can be seen hanging around numerous internet dwellings including Kinda Funny and Hang Time. Don't ask him what the latest meme is though - he likely won't know. For a Canadian he's also weirdly obsessed with Philadelphia sports teams - GO BIRDS.