Read on Twitter
okay, I've got a little time before I should really go to bed, let's do this. no idea if this will actually be useful to very many people, BUT I'M GONNA TRY.
I’ve seen a lot of great resources on Twitter for free things people can do while they #stayhome 
and practice #socialdistancing. your library might have ebooks through Overdrive/Libby or Hoopla & music (5 tracks per week to KEEP) through Freegal
and practice #socialdistancing. your library might have ebooks through Overdrive/Libby or Hoopla & music (5 tracks per week to KEEP) through Freegal
there are several free, legal streaming services for movies & TV shows--I haven't really tried any of these but I know some have Playstation/Xbox apps so it's easy to watch on your TV. https://www.cnet.com/how-to/netflix-alternatives-10-best-free-movie-streaming-services/
oh, and @simonteen has a few free YA ebooks every month. the @tordotcom newsletter has a free SF ebook monthly. @comixology Unlimited & @MarvelUnlimited both have free trials, which will get you digital access to massive amounts of comics.
these are all very cool things and I've used several of them. but you know what else you can get for free?
GAMES. LOADS OF 'EM.
GAMES. LOADS OF 'EM.
I don’t claim to be an expert on games in general or free games specifically, but I do really LIKE games in general & free games specifically, so I know some good sources. you can find games that work for you, regardless of interests, resources, & level of familiarity with games.
like, genuinely, if you're reading this thread on a device of some kind that you own, I guarantee you can find multiple free games that you'll like and that will work on your device. ...maybe not your Apple Watch? I know nothing about those.
(I have an iPhone 11, a PS3, an Xbox 360, & a Windows 10 PC I just upgraded to be a decent gaming rig but that was previously a Windows 7 gaming rig built in 2012. also a PSP I've used like twice. so, I don't know Macs, Linux, or Nintendo.)
1st! if you have a smartphone, you probably already have games on it, so start with your app store. browse top free games. browse by genre. quality varies and many free games require internet, but not all. new games come out ALL THE TIME.
if you haven't looked recently, go do that. loads of big-name franchises (Marvel, DC, Fire Emblem, Pokemon, Mario, Assassin’s Creed, Minecraft, Animal Crossing, etc.) have free mobile games, too, so you might even find something with characters you already like.
(bonus: @MarvelChampions event quests let you earn thousands of Marvel Insider points every month, which you can spend on a Marvel Unlimited subscription to read comics, which is also free because you're just spending points.)
if you don’t have a smartphone or you’d rather play on your desktop, @bluestacksinc is a free Android emulator for PC/Mac. I haven’t used it myself, but it should let you play any Android game from your desktop computer. like...any of 'em.
if you have a Windows 10 PC, you can also check the Microsoft Store & its hundreds of free games. lots of the same mobile games (I see Candy Crush, Angry Birds, Crossy Road) are available there too, plus...a whole bunch of more desktop-oriented stuff. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/top-free/games/pc
like on the other app stores, quality varies WILDLY, & personally I find the store interface...not great? but you've got shooters, racing games (Forza, Asphalt), puzzles, light versions of Halo games, tons of casual games. a few even use Xbox Live.
if you have a console, your free options are more limited, but you've still got...some options, most of which are multiplayer games. @TrueAchievement has a list of free XB1 games https://www.trueachievements.com/free/games/xbox-one & another (much shorter) for 360: https://www.trueachievements.com/free/games/xbox-360
a lot of those Xbox One games also have Windows 10 versions (& many of the MMOs are on Steam), although not all. the selection on Playstation & Nintendo consoles is pretty similar. several episodic games have their entire first episode free on multiple platforms.
those are demos, arguably, & of course the idea is to get you interested enough to buy the rest, but there's still a lot of game there--episode 1 of RE: Revelations 2, King's Quest, Life Is Strange, most Telltale games.
.......and I need to go to bed, because naturally it's taking way longer to write this up than I hoped, WHOOPS. posting now so I don't lose what's already here, will be back tomorrow with more. also I've already RT'd various sales/giveaways so there's that too. #StayHome
I spent too much time browsing Reddit for http://Itch.io games that are currently free to actually add much to this thread, but some wonderful person compiled all or at least most of them into a collection. claim them while you can! https://itch.io/c/759545/self-isolation-on-a-budget
damn, okay, there are SO MANY temporarily free games on http://Itch.io right now. also free? several games on Steam, including the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot! https://www.reddit.com/r/Freegamestuff/comments/flyqos/free_tombraider_and_headsnatchers_on_steam/
this http://itch.io collection keeps updating! there's SO MUCH! https://itch.io/c/759545/self-isolation-on-a-budget
this Reddit forum is also a good way to keep up with temporarily free games: https://www.reddit.com/r/FreeGameFindings/
among the temporarily free games on http://Itch.io right now: a number of tabletop RPGs, & I don't have a lot of experience with those but some of these mini & solo ones sound really cool. this dev has several for free https://itch.io/s/28931/the-everything-is-free-sale
obviously people's interests will vary but I've found a TON of games currently free on http://Itch.io right now that sound like very much my jam, which mostly means...horror, experimental stuff, adventure games, exploration, stuff like that. some highlights:
"Mu Cartographer is a contemplative game experience that combines colourful sandbox and experimental treasure hunt." I don't know exactly what that means but it sure sounds cool! https://titouanmillet.itch.io/mu-cartographer
Localhost and Subserial Network look like retrofuturistic stories about fun things like whether AI have souls https://itch.io/s/28758/aether-interactive-coronavirus-giveaway
"What happens when a young milkmaid sees an alien craft in a fjord in 1920's Norway?" I have no idea but I definitely want to find out! doesn't hurt that this adventure game looks really pretty. free for another 23 hours. https://machineboy.itch.io/milkmaid-of-the-milky-way
Imperishable Memories "combines bullet-hell gameplay with flashy cutscenes & angsty pondering to tell a story about coming to terms with horrible mistakes and gaining the strength to move on"; Boa Retina is about "messy gender uncertainty." here. for. it. https://itch.io/s/29009/free-games-to-play-on-your-laptop-when-youre-stuck-at-work-with-nothing-to-do-because-everyone-else-is-staying-at-home
"The detective prodigy Jam already knows who did the crime, but what the crime actually was remains to be determined." yes. sign me up. https://ray-clark.itch.io/jam-and-the-mystery-of-the-mysteriously-spooky-mansion
"Space Captain McCallery must survive a hostile alien world and search for rescue. Explore strange environments, battle dangerous creatures, and consume alien plants in this Low-Poly Action-Adventure game." 2 episodes, 2 more days! https://itch.io/s/28773/free-captain-mccallery
Death? Preposterous! looks like a sprawling adventure that is kind of about death but is ALSO peaceful and nonviolent? well, I'm interested. https://jayrayhawk.itch.io/dp
.......okay, let's get back to this, whoops. a LOT of games on http://itch.io have been free recently because a lot of devs want to help people stay entertained while #StayingHome, and there will probably be more if you keep an eye out.
I like to RT game giveaways (& other types of giveaways, for that matter) whenever I see them. in my experience though, the best way to stay updated on freebies is Reddit, because there are several subs dedicated specifically to temporarily free games.
I've joined...well, a bunch, because I'm paranoid about missing things. I think I've been visiting FreeGameFindings the most lately because it seems to gather from the broadest range of sources. https://www.reddit.com/r/FreeGameFindings/
I've also joined r/freegames, r/FreeGamesOnSteam, r/Freegamestuff, and r/FreeSteamGames, so between those, I probably don't miss many freebies anymore, no matter what site they're on (Steam, GOG, Epic, etc.). what you get depends on what devs give away, of course.
if you like random giveaways as much as the next person but you want SOME guarantee of quality instead of mostly picking up games where half the Steam reviews are "if you got this game free, you paid too much," @EpicGames is your best bet.
their schedule varies a bit, but @EpicGames pretty much always has at least one high-quality game available free, usually for a week or two before a new one takes its place. I've grabbed all of them since the beginning and it's added up to...wow, 85 games.
good games, too! look, I've got them all in a list, because for some reason I like listing and categorizing things https://www.grouvee.com/user/100indecisions/shelves/499347-epic-games-store/?num=25
what you get depends on what Epic feels like giving away, of course, but the range of freebies means that if you hang around long enough (or just periodically check their Twitter or one of those subreddits), you're guaranteed to find something you like that your computer can run.
and now I'm gonna finish off my evening with a little @SWTOR, which is also mostly free, so I'll pick this up again tomorrow.
okay, I don't know if anyone is actually reading any of these tweets, but it's going to bug me until I actually finish it, so I'm gonna talk some more about #freegames until I'm done, there's a whole thread above this, I promise at least some of it is still relevant #StayHome
so, I mentioned...a while ago...that a lot of the #freegames available for consoles are MMOs. pretty much any MMO with a console version also has a desktop version--PC for sure, Mac in some cases--and you've got a lot more to choose from.
there are a couple drawbacks to multiplayer games, of course: they require a steady internet connection, they're often a pretty big download, and other players can be...
I mean, you know what people can be like. on the internet. in general.
I mean, you know what people can be like. on the internet. in general.
a lot of multiplayer games have various options for avoiding unfriendly players or reducing their ability to cause actual damage. and if you do have decent internet, with the bandwidth and HD space for a big-ass download, MMOs can be great.
I think probably most of the major MMOs available now (and definitely a lot of what you'll find if you look for free games on Steam) are free to play, which guarantees you can have some fun goofing around even if you'd have to pay real money to get very far.
if you can find a free MMO you actually enjoy, it will probably take you a very, VERY long time to run out of content. it depends a lot on what you're looking for in your games, of course, but if you like exploring, running quests, leveling up, etc., you're set for ages.
I haven't actually played...many multiplayer games at all, MMO or otherwise. but like, there's Fortnite, everybody's heard of Fortnite, I'm sure it's more fun if you pay but there's some kind of free version on most platforms.
SMITE and Warframe are both on my to-play list because they look interesting. not sure what Neverwinter is like these days but I played it several years ago and had a lot of fun with the wizard powers. I remember the environments being pretty cool too.
Destiny 2 went free-to-play recently on multiple platforms and that game is HUGE. for those who like a plot in their games (e.g., me), I've...heard it has a decent one? if nothing else it's really pretty & it'll probably help the cabin fever.
Secret World Legends is high on my to-play list, because Secret World was on my wish list for a long time before going F2P within the last few years (I wanted to say "recently" but apparently it was in 2017, listen, I am gradually getting around to things)
Steam reviews are mixed so I have no idea whether it's actually good, but like: "Secret World Legends is a story-driven RPG that plunges players into a shadowy war against the supernatural, where ancient myths and legends cross over into the modern day."
so yeah that sounds very much like my jam, please and thanks, and at least for me, the fact that it seems to emphasize a storyline and a fascinating world should keep me playing long after I'd get bored with an MMO that...doesn't have those things.
apparently the devs have a few other games set in the same universe? Moons of Madness and The Park cost money, but Cyrano Story is a free prologue to Moons of Madness, and Hide & Shriek is a free 1-on-1 multiplayer. https://store.steampowered.com/app/215280/Secret_World_Legends/
for myself, I've been playing a lot of @SWTOR lately. that's another one where I want to say it went F2P recently but I'm pretty sure it's been...a while. like possibly since 2012. LISTEN, TIME IS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT.
I've been a subscriber pretty much since launch, so I can't personally speak to the F2P experience; I know it has a lot of limitations, and Preferred status (you spent any money on it ever) has slightly fewer. but even if you stay purely free, there is A LOT of content.
like, A LOT A LOT. this is a @bioware game, with everything that entails: a strong focus on writing, lots of companions to befriend or even romance, and the ability to make meaningful choices and roleplay to your heart's content (more or less).
functionally, @SWTOR is also basically a sequel to Knights of the Old Republic, which...I also have mostly not played but it's a classic, right? if you remember Taris and the Endar Spire, you might want to see what they've done with the place, if nothing else.
you can choose between 8 different classes in @SWTOR and each has its own distinct, lengthy storyline, which is...basically 8 games in one, each with lots of characters to love and hate.
despite being a subscriber for uhhhhh almost a decade now, I still have not finished all the original class storylines, which...says more about how I'll play a ton of something for a while and then nothing for months than it does about the amount of content, actually
but also it does kind of give you an idea of just how much content there is? I've completed 6 classes and I'm halfway through the remaining 2. free players, at this point, also get access to the first two major expansion packs, with probably more in the future.
SWTOR can pretty easily be played solo, which is great--or you can use it to do stuff with friends you can't see in person. plus, because the player base is...apparently still profitable without being huge...you're not all that likely to run into assholes.
I mean, I keep chat off in general because no thanks, but if you're on a PVE server, nobody can actually do anything to you outside of specific PVP areas. these days I almost never see other players outside of major hubs--again, great if you're there to solo.
you can also spend a ton of time just exploring, which isn't a perfect substitute for leaving your house but it's SOMETHING, you know? my brain needs new experiences to chew on, & I can't really go out anymore, but I CAN just wander around Tatooine or Hoth.
like I said, I'm a subscriber, so what I know of the F2P experience is just what I've read. for instance, I think you're limited in the number of characters you can create, which does limit the number of storylines you can experience...
...but it'll take a while to get through everything even with those, and you can buy more slots and various other unlocks with premium currency--some of which you can earn for free by earning achievements or progressing through your storyline.
and you can earn a bunch more, not just once but every month, by setting up two-factor authentication. https://swtorista.com/articles/how-to-install-swtor-security-key/
the same site has a pretty thorough guide to the differences between F2P, preferred, and subscriber status, so go check that out if you're interested. but seriously, if you haven't tried @SWTOR, do that. https://swtorista.com/articles/swtor-free-to-play-vs-preferred-vs-subscriber-guide/
I did not mean to spend QUITE so much time extolling @SWTOR's virtues, and now it's late and I want to actually play some myself, so apparently I'm still not going to finish this thread today, yay me
