‘My Favourite Games’ is a regular MossRanking feature which gives us a chance to get to know our fellow Spelunkers a little better. In each edition, we put the spotlight on one member of the community, as they pick three of their most treasured video games ever and give their reasons why. Featured members are allowed to pick whatever games they want... except for Spelunky. In the fourth entry, we go to Meowmixmix, an exceptional speedrunner and one of the fine folks who brings you the MossRanking news. Aside from making up one third of the infamous -ix trio, Meowmixmix is 14th overall and played a huge part in producing the recent and very successful Scoreathlon event. Here are his three games. Halo 3 (Xbox 360, 2007) The first game Meow played competitively was Bungie’s acclaimed shooter Halo 3. Such was Halo 3's popularity back in 2007 that it was the best-selling game that year in the US. “I literally got Xbox Live for Halo 3 because the game was so hyped up at the time and everyone was buzzing about it,” Meow says. “I had never played any PvP games online up to this point, and it opened a whole new world to me.” For Meow, stepping online proved to be a particularly eye-opening experience. He found himself up against people around the world who were much better than him -- but he used this to drive himself to improve. “I was used to being the best gamer in my neighbourhood, but once I got online I realised I wasn’t quite as good as I thought I was,” he shares. “I wanted to get better, so I dedicated a lot of my time to this game and kept moving up the ranks… I still get nostalgic about those days when I felt I had so much more time to play competitively online and actually keep up.” What was it about Halo 3 that drew everybody in? Aside from the satisfying shooting, Meow praises how skill-based the game was. “Halo 3 had no perks you could unlock over time other than aesthetics,” he says. “Each game, everyone started with the same gear and advantages, so I didn’t feel bad if I couldn’t keep up with everyone else just because I couldn’t put in as much time. All that really mattered was your skill, which of course is typically better the more time you put in, but it still didn’t feel like an unfair advantage.” Meow adds that he played Halo 3 "every day for around two years". If you want to look at his old stats, you can go right here. Fable (Xbox, 2004) Hear the name Peter Molyneux, and Fable is probably one of the first things to come to your mind. The game designer’s enthusiasm for Fable leading up to its release is well-documented, and for Meow, it delivered in spades. “I was in fifth grade when I started playing this game,” he says. “I think it was the first RPG I really played. It had weapons, armour, spells, and stats. But what really got me hooked was the morality choices in the game. I still think about the first time I played it.”

Yes, one of the more interesting aspects about Fable -- remember, this was back in 2004 and at the time a relative novelty for console role-playing games -- was the idea that the player’s choices and whether or not they were good or bad had influence over the character’s appearance. Evil characters would grow devil’s horns, for example. “I think the concept of choices that have effects on the world brought a new perspective to me that I didn’t think gaming could bring at that age,” Meow explains. “I had only really played linear games up to that point.” Meow loves the sequels as well. Fable II came out in 2008 on Xbox 360, while Fable III followed two years later. “The Fable sequels turned out to be not as popular, even though I loved them all so much,” he comments. “I doubt they will make more, but this series -- and specifically the first Fable -- will always have a special place in my heart.” Minecraft (PC, 2011) Meow’s final game is the phenomenon that is Minecraft, a sandbox game which has truly captured the imagination of millions around the world since it first launched in 2011. “I thought the idea of gathering all my materials and building a base out of it, me and my friends working together, was such a great idea and it was an experience I didn’t realise I was craving until I tried the game out,” Meow says. “It seems so obvious of a concept now that it has blown up with the success of things like Terraria, Starbound, and all these other survival build-your-own-base games.” Minecraft contributed towards shaping Meow's life. As a usually “very technical person”, he says that the game helped him explore his creative side. “I was never good at any creative activities in the real world,” Meow explains. “I could never draw a straight line even. So I guess the blocky format made it easy for someone like me to get into a creative space.” Not only that, but it played a significant part when he started work -- “Minecraft got me into programming in Java, which is now what I do for my job." Minecraft is all the more memorable for Meow thanks to the number of friends he has made through the game. While on a custom server called RaidCraft ("the main purpose was to try and break into other people's bases and steal their stuff"), he made a friend from Sweden called Chips. The pair of them ended up creating a raiding server of their own. "That was when RumbleCraft was born and I started making custom plugins with Java," Meow says. "On running this server, I met a whole bunch of new friends, and we all still talk to this day. I have actually visited Chips in Sweden and one of my other friends in California." Meow says that the new updates has made Minecraft a less appealing game nowadays, but he couldn't imagine his life without it. "This game has had a huge impact on my life in many great ways that I am very grateful for," he concludes. -- Do you want to be featured? To be part of ‘My Favourite Games’, send a message to hbix (#3495) on the Spelunky Discord, listing your three picks along with a quick comment justifying their inclusions. You will hear back from me with follow-up questions. Previous 'My Favourite Games' entries: MikeIsMyIke (#3), Twiggle (#2), Kinnijup (#1)