- Games To Play On Macbook Pro
- Pc Games For Macbook
- Mac Desktop Games
- Mac Games Download
- Mac Windows Games
Remember desktop pets? In the very early days of the web, they came in many forms (cats, ants, cockroaches, even spyware), all of them cute little pixels who just hung out on your screen to keep you company. It made the strange, isolating new world wide web we all found ourselves in feel a little more like home.
Sadly, most of the ones we knew and loved in the past died quiet digital deaths. Yet we can thank indie game and web art designer Nathalie Lawhead (aka alienmelon) for keeping the dream of desktop buddies alive over the years, reinventing them for the modern world, and leading a niche movement to bring them back.
'Virtual pets are a relic of that era. A way to humanize the cold digital space that you're constantly in.'
Games To Play On Macbook Pro
'Desktops used to be much more customizable spaces,' she wrote to Mashable over Twitter. 'Virtual pets are a relic of that era. A way to humanize the cold digital space that you're constantly in. They kind of counteract the golden rule of productivity and 'maximizing output' that we're so used to when engaging with a computer. Instead of running things that are only useful, you get this little goofy presence that makes occupying this space less of a lonely void.'
In a recent blog post, Lawhead detailed a thorough history and love letter to the desktop buddy. She's been making them since Neopets first became a thing, accruing at least a dozen of the most oddly delightful new versions of this old web tradition.
Mac App Store is the simplest way to find and download apps for your Mac. To download apps from the Mac App Store, you need a Mac with OS X 10.6.6 or later. EA GAMES FOR MAC. From high fantasy to competitive sports – you can tap into the excitement of EA's hottest Mac games! Unleash your imagination in The Sims 4, rise to power and fight epic battles in Dragon Age II, build a living world where every choice matters in SimCity, and more. Transfer saves files from PC to Mac. Though The Sims 4 doesn't support Origin cloud storage, transferring your save files between the PC and Mac versions of the game is easy. On your PC, open My Computer and go to the Documents folder. Go to Electronic Arts, then The Sims 4 folder. Find and copy the entire saves folder onto a flash drive. Mac App Store games don't require any type of subscription to play, and they're stored directly on a device. With technologies like Catalyst, it may also be easier for developers to transition. Mac Games Showing 1 - 19 of 19 products Name (A-Z) Name (Z-A) Price (Low to High) Price (High to Low) Best Sellers Release Date.
Now that the lucky among us are working from home due to coronavirus stay-at-home orders, we're faced with an even more severe version of that digital isolation of the past, often with only our screens for companionship. Which is why the desktop buddies need to come back ASAP in a big way.
SEE ALSO: Best beginner-friendly video games for your coronavirus lockdown
'It's kind of escapism. Transforming our digital spaces into a fantasy world that we can actually live in matters a lot,' she said. 'Computers are really good at making us feel alone. You definitely get that in most of the virtual spaces we're put into (like a desktop, photoshop, anything we work in). Apple leopard to mountain lion. All that exists here is YOU and the impending urgency to be productive because that's what the space was designed for.'
But taking back utility-only virtual spaces with goofiness is one way to help us stay sane. And that's why she hopes other creators will join her in making more of these digital toy friends, even if it's just a desktop buddy version of their video game or animated character. Her post explains how she approaches designing them, emphasizing how surprisingly easy they can be to make.
'There's also a therapeutic aspect for yourself in knowing that you're 'building a friend.'
'There's also a therapeutic aspect for yourself in knowing that you're 'building a friend.' You get to decide what kind of emotions it expresses. How it interacts with you,' Lawhead said. 'Sharing that with others is very meaningful.'
With so many designers finding themselves also stuck at home and possibly with more time on their hands than usual, now is the best time to rally around the movement to bring back desktop buddies.
We went ahead and curated a list of our own favorite virtual desktop companions, based almost entirely on Lawhead's list of what's available right now. They might seem limited now, but imagine what they could be if more people joined in.
(Note: Many are free to download with a suggested donation. We highly recommend giving the few bucks creators request since, like many, designers are also facing uncertain financial times.)
Electric Love Potato (Two Point OH!)
Electric Love Potato (Two Point OH!) is a ride-or-die desktop buddy. A second iteration on an earlier design, its core personality remains as winning as ever. Like any Good Boy puppo companion, the Electric Love Potato (Two Point OH!) is immediately obsessed with you, telling you various affirmations. In return, you can hug, water, and brush it (you can also shame it, but what kind of monster are you?) As thanks, it makes potato art just for your viewing pleasure.
But the Electric Love Potato (Two Point OH!) is not a passive virtual buddy. You'll very frequently have to save it from various threats, and the window pop-ups can look like spam (they are not). But that's by design, since the Electric Love Potato (Two Point OH!) is just meant to make you laugh.
Platforms: Windows, Mac
Price: Free, with a$2.00 suggested donation
eSheep
The only surviving relic of the original desktop companions on our list, eSheep is both a blast to the past and very relevant to this moment. Originally created over two decades ago by Tatsutoshi Nomura, a fan has resurrected this cute little guy for all our benefit. eSheep does little more than just walk around the bottom of your screen, occasionally yawning or sitting like a cutey. You can pick him up and drag him around, but he'll just go back to doing sheep things.
Platforms: Windows
Creator: Originally Tatsutoshi Nomura, new version Adriano
Creator: alienmelon
Price: Free
RUNONCE (remember_me)
By far the most relatable entry on our list, this buddy is described as 'an existential desktop friend that knows you have doomed it by running it.' Hard same.
And it's not kidding: After opening the application and bringing this adorably self-conscious little creature to life, it will beg for its life every time you try to quit, then the app will self-destruct after you force quit.
But RUNONCE isn't about just guilting you. The rabbit-like virtual companion stomps around your desktop spouting anxieties about the fleeting nature of life, worrying about being too overbearing by asking you questions, and finally concluding that love makes it all worthwhile even though everything must end.
It also frequently asks you to save conversations you have, which is automatically preserved in a folder. So even after you murder this innocent digital being, you can still hold onto the memories.
Platforms: Windows, Mac
Creator: alienmelon
Price: Free, with a$1.00 suggested donation
Pc Games For Macbook
Girb
Like a more passive version of RUNONCE, Girb is exactly what the perfect desktop companion should be: unbelievably cute and useless. He just bops around your screen, not doing much of anything, sometimes spouting technobabble and tripping over itself <3
In the description, Lawhead says she created Girb to help a friend dealing with depression, and it's immediately apparent how Girb can help bring a smile to all our faces.
Platforms: Windows, Mac
Creator: alienmelon M4v player mac.
Price: Free, with a$0.99 suggested donation
Desktop Goose
Fans of Untitled Goose Game will recognize that honk anywhere. While not affiliated with the game's creator, this fan art desktop companion brings the spirit of what made it great. The Desktop Goose is an adorable nuisance you can't help but love (more like a cat than a dog, if you will). He honks liberally, tracks mud all over your screen, steals your mouse if you click on him, and interrupts your day with goose-related memes (again, stealing your mouse if you dare close out of them).
Why would you willingly download a pest onto your screen? Because he's friggin adorable and ultimately harmless fun. It brings a dash of playfulness to your day, like when I discovered that I could avoid his beak by making him run circles after my mouse until he gave up. Who's honking now, Goose?!
Platforms: Windows, Mac
Creator: samperson
Price: Free, with a$2.00 suggested donation
Mountain
While not necessarily a desktop companion, Mountain is like a virtual bonsai tree that grows independent of you. It's a passive 'game' intended to run in the background while you go about your day doing other stuff, as your mountain evolves in real-time. Its evolution is based on how some first initial choices you make (the only input you have on it) interact with one another.
It's a calming, meditative virtual buddy that helps give you an excuse to take a brief break from work to check in periodically out of curiosity. What's most lovely about Mountain right now is how it reminds us that, despite all this justified anxiety and terror, there's still something beautiful to be found in a world we can't control.
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux
Creator: David O'Reilly
Price: $1.00
Homeless Pigeon
Did you miss your opportunity to foster a pet before safe-at-home and shelter-in-place orders were put into effect? Well, Homeless Pigeon is here as a virtual pet-in-need of a desktop. Turning these winged pests into an adorable buddy, you can let it just hang out and do its thing in its nest, or click it continuously to shower it with love (we recommend the latter).
Platforms: Windows
Creator: itsNemo
Price: Free, with a$4.00 suggested donation
Desktop Pets
More of a traditional Tamagotchi situation, Desktop Pets offers two different types (a unicorn or turtle, naturally) for you to clean up after and tell them to sleep. It's another really simple one, and since it's kept in a window, not as adorable as truly on-screen desktop companions. But if you miss pressing a button to clear pixelated poo, this one's for you.
Platforms: Windows
Creator: wymandude
Price: Free
My Pet Ghost
Adorably described as 'tamaghosti,' this is another iteration on the traditional Tamagotchi experience. This one's way more extensive, though, and more after-life oriented of course. With mini-games and even an evolution into a new creature after 30 minutes of passive play, your ghost pal is sure to keep you engaged. And yes, it's still possible to kill you tamaghosti from neglect (somehow).
It's also an idle game that lives in a separate desktop. But if you're on windows, that means checking back in only takes a keyboard press of alt+tab.
Platforms: Windows
Creator: Liv Jeremiah, Fancy Pigeons, Harry Prebble
Price: Free
Finding good games for Mac® used to be slow and painful. There were very few games to choose from, and the options available were quite old. But things have definitely changed a lot.
Thanks to committed developers such as Aspyr, Feral Interactive, and even Blizzard and Valve, there are now lots of great, recent games you can play on your Mac. And with the continuous improvements of tools such as Parallels Desktop for Mac, playing Windows games on your Mac is becoming easier and easier.
Today Ric from MacgamerHQ.com will share ten of the best games you can play on macOS®, including some of the most exciting Mac games from 2018 and a few Windows-only games that run great thanks to Parallels Desktop.
1. Rise of the Tomb Raider
This action survival game is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed Tomb Raider reboot from 2013. The game picks up right where its predecessor ended and takes Lara around the world in her quest to discover the secret of immortality.
This game has a solid story waiting for you, but what makes it great are the excellent survival elements, shooting mechanics, and insane action sequences. If you enjoy action adventure games, this is the best you will find on macOS.
Developed for Mac by Feral Interactive, Rise of the Tomb Raider is also one of the finest usages of Metal 2, the new graphics API from Apple. For the longest time, Mac games have suffered in terms of performance compared to Windows. With the improvements made to Metal 2 and the great job some studios have done to implement it, Mac games' performance continues to improve. Also, having one of the best Mac computers for gaming certainly helps, too…
2. Fortnite: Battle Royale
Fortnite is such a sensation, it probably needs no introduction. But in the remote possibility that you're not aware of this game, Fortnite is not only the most famous Battle Royale game right now, it's the most famous game of the moment, period.
Pitting you in a huge map with 100 other players, you'll need to scavenge weapons and armor to survive until you become the last man standing. Fortnite somehow creates tension and excitement for everyone involved, from the experienced to the beginners. That's what makes it such a fun game to play.
Behind the playful graphics hides an intense game that is free to play. You read that right—the gaming sensation of the moment is one of the best free games for Mac. What are you waiting for?
3. Rocket League
Rocket League is one of those games that is hard to explain. Combining high-flying rocket-powered cars with soccer, the game pits you against another team, and you'll need to use your battle-car to score.
That is, of course, easier said than done, because the game features an impressive physics-based gameplay that will require you to have perfect timing, placement, and anticipation in order to score. You can play solo against another opponent or as part of a team.
Needless to say, this is a multiplayer game that is ten times more fun when playing with friends. If you haven't tried it yet and are looking for a team-focused online game, Rocket League is for you.
4. Civilization 6
Perhaps the best strategy game out there, we sure are glad that Aspyr brought Civilization 6 to MacOS. The follow-up to the stellar Civilization 5, Civ 6 lets you once again take the helm of an infant civilization and turn it into a mighty empire.
Your objective is simple: create the greatest and most powerful civilization in the World. It will then be up to you to decide how to best do it. Do you want to conquer the world using your mighty army? Or perhaps you want to create a trade empire that puts the other Civs to shame? It will be up to you. Even if you've played hundreds of hours of Civ games before, Civ 6 has plenty of new features and improvements in store for you.
Civ 6 also introduced new mechanics and improved graphics that take the franchise even further. A quick warning, though, Civ 6 is a very demanding game. In fact, you should have a modern Mac from 2016 onwards to properly enjoy it.
5. Subnautica
As you can see, some of the most famous AAA games support macOS. That's great, but we can't forget about all the world-class indie games that helped Mac gaming thrive.
Subnautica is one of the latest examples. In this survival adventure game, you'll have to explore an alien underworld planet and gather whatever resources you can find to survive.
Subnautica somehow manages to find the right balance between survival and exploration. https://herejfile340.weebly.com/movavi-video-converter-premium-for-mac.html. As you progress, you get to upgrade your equipment and go further into the depths to find better loot—but also face bigger dangers.
6. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
The sequel to one of the highest-rated RPGs of all time, Pillars of Eternity II broke crowdfunding records, raising over four million dollars. Those are insane figures, but I'm happy to report developer Obsidian made good use of every dollar it raised.
Mac Desktop Games
This isometric RPG managed to surpass the original in virtually every way. The game features a rich story, deep characters, a fascinating world, and improved tactical combat. Granted, this RPG is reminiscent to old-school RPGs, and if you're looking for an action-heavy game, Pillars of Eternity might not be for you. But if you're looking for a good story and fascinating world to immerse yourself in, give it a try.
7. DiRT Rally
DiRT Rally isn't simply another racing game from Codemasters; this is probably their best game to date.
DiRT Rally features excellent gameplay that is both precise and exciting. The sense of speed is there, and you can always fine-tune the difficulty settings to suit your preferences. Whether you want a challenging simulation or an intense casual game, DiRT Rally can be both. It doesn't matter whether you're a rally fan or not—this game has so much to offer.
Plus, DiRT Rally is the perfect example of how to do a Mac port right. Feral Interactive somehow managed to create a bug-free game that looks great and can run flawlessly on older Mac computers.
8. Terraria
Described by many as Minecraft in 2D, Terraria is so much more than that.
In Terraria, every game takes place in a randomly generated world full of monsters to fight, rare resources to find, and dangerous caverns to explore. But then it's up to you to decide the kind of game you want to play. You can focus on exploring the world in search of treasure and rare resources. You can seek one of the bosses that hide within the world and fight it to the death. Or you can build a city of your own and house mysterious allies.
Mac Games Download
Terraria may be a few years old, but because of its cool retro graphics and deep gameplay, it's still an excellent game to play today.
9. Overwatch
In spite of all of these macOS-ready titles, there are a few games that are sorely missing.
Overwatch is one of those games. Released in 2016 and winner of most Game of the Year awards, this team-based multiplayer shooter keeps getting better and better. It currently has over 30 million registered players and has received countless free updates, including new characters and maps.
Overwatch is also the only game from Blizzard that doesn't support macOS. That makes us miss it even more. Luckily, it can run beautifully on a Mac using Parallels Desktop. The Parallels team recently tested it again to make sure it runs properly under Windows 10 and Parallels Desktop. As you can see from the video below, the game runs beautifully.
So if you were disappointed that Overwatch is not available for Mac, you can still play it with the help of Parallels.
10. Crysis
Mac Windows Games
Conclusion
By now you should be convinced that macOS offers enough quality games to keep most gamers entertained.
And if you ever felt frustrated that the one game you were dying to play is not available on Mac, remember that you can always check if it works with Parallels Desktop. That includes demanding games such as Overwatch or brand-new games such as Jurassic World Evolution.
So, what will you be playing next?
Thanks to Ric from MacgamerHQ.com for this very interesting Guest Blog post.
If you want to try out any Windows Game that doesn't work on the Mac, check out these instructions how to make it work with Parallels Desktop for Mac and watch our Playlist with different Windows games that work perfectly on the Mac.
