It all looks so innocuous when you first start playing Kerbal Space Program. Surely a game populated with cutesy little characters like the green kerbals wouldn't make it too hard to launch a rocket into space, would it? Abandon that naive preconception immediately. KSP is tough, but that's OK because the try, try again challenge of sending a rocket into space is where all the fun stems from. A solid understanding of physics and astronomy (and ideally a degree in engineering) come in handy in KSP, but if you don't have these then you'll soon learn them through the game. While there's nothing less sexy than referring to a video game as 'educational', it's undeniably a fascinating learning experience. For the first several hours of the game, your rockets will explode on launch, spin around stupidly like fireworks on a pavement, or just not even start up in the first place. But as you learn about gravity, and orbits, and jet engines, you'll get closer and closer to leaving the planet's atmosphere. It's a satisfying process, and when you finally do make it into orbit, it'll be one of your most profound video game moments. The journey doesn't end upon hitting space either, as you can explore neighbouring planets, land on asteroids, and even visit an endless pool of new star systems thanks to the game's thriving modding community. If you want to grab it free of any nasty DRM, you can do so at GOG.com.
Gamer, Researcher of strange things.
I'm a writer-editor hybrid whose writings on video games, technology and movies can be found across the internet. I've even ventured into the realm of current affairs on occasion but, unable to face reality, have retreated into expatiating on things on screens instead.
