Berry Plays Games is an online blog seeking to build community in the gaming space, one game night at a time. By bringing people together at the game table (or console) we allow ourselves to be open to new ideas while creating relationships through shared experience. You are welcome at the Berry Plays Games table, as long as you come with an open heart and an open mind!
In my younger years, I was denied access to nerdy spaces. In high school, I was interested in playing Magic the Gathering and was told “it’s not for girls like you.” Later in college, I asked to join a game of Pathfinder and was once again told it wasn’t for me. It wasn’t until my late 20’s and early 30’s that I began to find people who didn’t gatekeep the hobby. Casual friend get togethers turned into game nights, and game nights became more frequent. Soon I found myself in a regular Dungeons and Dragons group that has been going strong for 10 years at the time of this writing!
Through these moments in gaming, memories are formed and friendships are forged, but also personal achievements are met. You begin to look at problems in a new way and encourage yourself to think differently. In so many of the games we play, there is more than one way to win. With storytelling, you watch your characters grow and can’t help but grow along with them. You discover diverse voices telling diverse stories, as everyone looks for themselves in the journeys we take.
The focus of Berry Plays Games content will largely focus on games and how to play. However; it is important to remind ourselves that everything comes from somewhere, and every choice we make reflects our values (or lack there of). There are creators of all walks of life that are sharing a part of themselves by allowing you to experience their gaming creations. Whether you are playing a solo games designed to help you self reflect or a robust game where you take down a regime, there is truth in these stories and lessons to be learned. We stress our values in the content we create and will always take a stance.
And just in case it is not clear, Science is Real, Black Lives Matter, Protect Trans Kids, LGBTQIA+ Welcome, No Human is Illegal, and kindness is free. If you disagree, this isn’t the place for you.
Meet The Team
VariantBerry
Head Writer
(she, her, hers)
Berry is a strong advocate for growth through play and ensure the gaming table is a safe space for all. Berry was brought into the board gaming hobby with Everdell as her gateway game and Stardew Valley as her video game of choice. Her favorite games either give a cozy vibe or are complete chaos (like 5 Minute Dungeon).
At Berry Plays Games, Berry is the Head Writer and Lead Interviewer. When not playing games, Berry enjoys time at the beach or baking, travel and creating memories with her loved ones, dog and four cats.
Archinimus
Copy Editor
(he, him, his)
Archinimus plays games too. When possible, these games feature rich worlds, engrossing stories, and giant swords. Cooperative games are more his speed than competitive games, as he prefers to win with a party over triumphing alone. But he will rarely turn down a challenge. Some of his favorite board and tabletop games include Machi Koro, Undaunted: Normandy, and trading card games such as Magic the Gathering. For video games he enjoys FromSoftware games, Classic JRPGs, and games both new and old that involve gathering a party of friends and hitting things really hard with a giant sword.
His latest challenge has been inserting Oxford commas into BPG’s articles and keeping Berry from spending her life savings on limited edition Kickstarter bonuses for every game released.
Izzie
Creative Director
(she, her, hers)
Izzie’s a long-time video gamer turned lover of table-top thanks to Berry & Archinimus. Her favorite video game series are Guild Wars 1 & 2, Minecraft, and Pokémon. Her favorite genre of tabletop / board games are co-op games like Forbidden Island.
Here at Berry Plays, Izzie’s in charge of creative direction, from web design to photography. Her current goal is going through the blog backlog and updating our old phone photos to nice studio-shots of our favorite games! She’ll also be reporting on events and conventions like Dragoncon.