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  1. Games
  2. Action

How to make outdoor summer activities more like video games

Features
By David Houghton published 2 August 2013

Video games and sunlight need not be mutually exclusive

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Cruel summer

Cruel summer

Summer. It should be the optimum time for gaming. The annual games drought has started, leaving a few solid months of play-time in which to clear up last year's Christmas backlog before the autumn release schedule starts kicking in like an angry mule with a hangover. But there's a problem with summer. It's summer. The weather is great, there's plenty going on outside, and thus you're irretrievably drawn to the outside world, devoid as it is of TVs, monitors and convenient power supplies.

But there's a solution. Gamify all of those outdoor summer activities. Modify them so that they provide the same core experiences that video games furnish. Do that, and although you might be far from a controller or a mouse, you'll never be away from the gaming you crave. We've worked out nine such options, and if you click on we'll happily explain how they work.

Page 1 of 11
Page 1 of 11
Simulate an MMO...

Simulate an MMO...

...by going to a sunny beer garden alone, befriending a few random strangers, and persuading them to go on a pub crawl with you. Just make sure to refer to it as a raid, and for extra authenticity try to communicate with your new friends only via text message.

Page 2 of 11
Page 2 of 11
Simulate FPS...

Simulate FPS...

...by painting your barbecue red, soaking the coals with petrol, and then lighting it with a burning match fired from a Nerf gun. Extra points if you have time to construct a home-made barbecue out of an actual barrel.

And as a follow-up barbecue activity, once the food is ready to go why not...

Page 3 of 11
Page 3 of 11
Simulate reading game reviews...

Simulate reading game reviews...

...by asking a friend if they like their burger. If they say "Yes", tell them that they're an idiot for liking that burger, as the relish is clearly more cheap and commercial these days. Exclaim that they're obviously being paid by the burger manufacturer to promote their burgers. If, however, they say "No" (like for instance, if their burger is burnt), call them an idiot for not liking it, on the grounds that you happen to really like burnt burgers and thus they are inalienably wrong. Make sure to also accuse them of taking bribes from sausage manufacturers for bad-mouthing burgers.

Page 4 of 11
Page 4 of 11
Simulate an Elder Scrolls game...

Simulate an Elder Scrolls game...

...by going to the beach and fighting a crab. And while you're at the coast, why not...

Page 5 of 11
Page 5 of 11
Simulate GTA III and early Assassin's Creed...

Simulate GTA III and early Assassin's Creed...

...by simply sitting down and staring at the sea in primitive dread.

Page 6 of 11
Page 6 of 11
Simulate draw distance...

Simulate draw distance...

...by going on a ramble through the countryside wearing powerful convex lenses. Usually used to treat long-sightedness, these will blur out everything in the distance by focusing the incoming light nearer to your eyes, thereby creating an authentic distance-fog effect. If you're already short-sighted, just take your glasses off. Use of convex lenses will give you the extreme PS1 experience, but you'll have to be very careful around cliffs.

Page 7 of 11
Page 7 of 11
Simulate old-school arcade gaming...

Simulate old-school arcade gaming...

...by having a picnic consisting only of whole roast chickens and fruit. For ultimate authenticity, serve all the food out of a bin.

And as an additional picnic activity, why not...

Page 8 of 11
Page 8 of 11
Simulate survival horror...

Simulate survival horror...

...by shooting the inevitable wasps with a Super Soaker. If you want an extreme challenge, pour a ring of fruit juice around the picnic area once the first wasps arrive in order to initiate your own Horde Mode.

Page 9 of 11
Page 9 of 11
Simulate a water level...

Simulate a water level...

...by going swimming and making resolutely sure not to enjoy yourself. Make a point of trying to do normal, everyday, land-based activities in the pool, and complain that none of them work very well once water-resistance comes into the equation. Spend the rest of your week doing fun things, while occasionally thinking back and complaining to friends about "that one water day".

Page 10 of 11
Page 10 of 11
Off into the sunset?

Off into the sunset?

So there's our guide to keeping summer gamey, whether there are games to be had or not. But have you got any other suggestions? Any ways you're finding to stop the summer fun from stopping your gaming? Let us know.

And while you're here, check out some of our other variously related stuff. Maybe try The Top 7... Games that deserve their own theme park attractions, and then give 11 random objects that look like gaming executives a go.

Page 11 of 11
Page 11 of 11
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming Wii-u Nintendo PlayStation PS4 Xbox Xbox One Platforms
PRODUCTS
Grand Theft Auto V The Elder Scrolls Online The Evil Within Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Grand Theft Auto 3 World of Warcraft The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Resident Evil 6 Dead Space 3 Streets of Rage The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Virtual Console Doom
David Houghton
David Houghton
Long-time GR+ writer Dave has been gaming with immense dedication ever since he failed dismally at some '80s arcade racer on a childhood day at the seaside (due to being too small to reach the controls without help). These days he's an enigmatic blend of beard-stroking narrative discussion and hard-hitting Psycho Crushers.
See more PC Gaming Features
Read more
Mixtape protagonists lounge in a sunlit bedroom with purple walls and fairy lights
Nostalgic indie game from publisher Annapurna is a "respite from the current cursed reality" inspired by real-life, dev says: "Ended about as well as you can expect, including a nice scar, and cow s***"
2D pixel art of a lone man on an island littered with shells with the blue ocean surrounding him, in a screenshot from Nice Day for Fishing.
If collecting fish in Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, or Dave the Diver consumed your life, this new fishing RPG might be perfect for you
Neverway screenshot showing lead character Fiona in the center holding a sword with four residents standing either side of her
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KYY Portable Monitor connected to Switch with Mario Kart 8 on screen.
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Flexispot Under Desk Treadmill under E7 plus desk with monitor on top and Oblivion Remastered running on gaming PC.
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