Today’s Tech Tuesday explores new trends in video gaming –from more women characters and more exploration of increasingly detailed worlds to games with a social impact. Catch a preview of some of the games we’re talking about and listen in at noon.

1. The Witcher 3 is the most recent game in the Witcher series based on a series of fantasy novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapowski. Witcher 3 is an open world game allowing players to travel by foot, horse, and boat. The game also features role playing elements giving the players choice in how to interact with the world.

2. No Man’s Sky is a near infinite space exploration adventure game. The game is procedurally generated, meaning that the game can create new content by itself without new input from the developer. The player is encouraged to seek out and discover new planets, solar systems, plants and animals. The game will feature 18 quintillion planets according to the developer, which Wired says would take five billion years to visit each.

3. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is the sequel to Bethesda’s hit RPG Oblivion places players in a Nordic themed fantasy realm. The game introduces dragons to the narrative. The customizable protagonist is dragonborn and is granted a variety of fantastical powers. The player is able to explore the massive world of Skyrim and engage in conversations with non-playing characters.

4. Portal is a first person puzzle game putting the player in control of a human test subject for a portal gun project run by Aperture Science. The player has to figure out how to teleport themselves through a series of puzzle rooms facing challenges like turrets, acid, lava, to avoid and outmaneuver. The objective is to earn the elusive cake promised by the cold robotic test proctor, GLaDOS.

5. Rise of the Tomb Raider is the sequel to the prequel Tomb Raider. It features the return of a young Lara Croft. Lara Croft seeks out the mystical secret city of Kitezh in Siberia competing with the secret organization Trinity. Croft believes the city holds secrets of immortality. The game incorporates human, animal and environmental threats.

6. Gone Home is a first person mystery game. The protagonist, Kaitlin, arrives at her family’s mansion in Oregon after a year abroad. Kaitlin discovers a note from her sister, Samantha, explaining not to look for clues explaining her disappearance. Kaitlin soon realizes her parents are gone as well. Gone Home explores issues of sexuality and family ties.

7. Fallout 4 is the much hyped follow up in the post-apocalyptic role playing series. Taking place 10 years after the much acclaimed Fallout 3 brought players to a nuclear wasteland of Washington D.C. Fallout 4 is set in the irradiated ruins of Boston and surrounding areas. The protagonist is fully customizable including their gender. Much of the game is focused on dialogue options and role playing rather than simple shooting.

8. Mirror’s Edge is a first person action adventure game focusing on streamlined parkour mechanics. The game prominently features a female protagonist as she glides across the roofs of a dystopian society.  The player uses their agility to quickly dispatch of the state security across the city’s skylines.

9. Never Alone is a puzzle platformer made with help from the Alaskan Native community. The plot is based on Alaskan Native stories and mythology. The player switches between a Inupiaq girl named Nuna and her fox.

10. Journey is an indie adventure game praised for its elegance and beauty. The player takes control of a silent cloth-person who is attempting to travel to a mountain far away in the distance. The player can run, jump, fly, and speak.

Jacob Bennett contributed to this list