Video games are often viewed as a fun but ultimately trivial use of one's time. However, just like other forms of fictional entertainment, games can teach us important lessons that apply to the real world as well. Although you (hopefully) won't find yourself scavenging your way through a post-apocalyptic hellscape anytime soon, here are some helpful life lessons you can learn from playing Fallout 4...and a few you probably shouldn't.

Lesson #1: Don't Judge People By Their AppearancesWe've all made assumptions about people based on how they look, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea. After all, sometimes a super mutant turns out to be a pretty cool guy. Like in the real world, characters in Fallout 4 frequently have more going on with them than it would appear at first glance. That might not be enough to prevent you from headshotting a raider a thousand yards out the moment you spot him, but it's a good reminder to occasionally check your preconceived notions – especially since there's a very good chance that you look like a horrendously dressed idiot yourself.

Chris Avellone is known across the industry for his visionary work on PC role-playing games while at companies like Interplay and Obsidian. His resume includes impressive titles like Icewind Dale, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, Neverwinter Nights 2, Fallout II, and Pillars of Eternity. Avellone has recently gone rogue, leaving Obsidian to take on new adventures with Divinity: Original Sin II.

The PC RPG scene is coming back in a big way – do you have any insight on why this is happening now after years of decline? Is crowdfunding responsible for the resurgence?

Partly. It felt like there was a perception that some PC games simply weren't... well... worth publishing, and if so, only as a SKU of a primarily console title. Even if not expensive, it wasn't worth a larger publisher's time to bring them to market because many small games versus a few larger games is a bit easier for a publisher to wrap their head around, especially from the ROI angle. Plus, having a few larger games ends up being less distracting. If I was to make a poor example of why, it's like having to count a hundred pennies vs. counting four quarters. They might be the same value in the end, but the larger titles "chunk" together easier without needing to expand your QA and marketing teams to deal with all the noise. 

This last year was an interesting for role-playing games. While some showcased exciting innovation, such as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, others, like Tales of Zestiria and Xenoblade Chronicles X, remained complacent and didn't move the needle. A dearth of quality RPGs on handheld also didn’t help, as in past years that has been a place for niche games to shine. Thankfully, 2016 looks to be a more varied and solid year, giving us new entries in popular series, while also finally offering niche games that dedicated fans have long been pining for. As a staff, we discussed which RPGs we have the most fervor for that are coming in 2016. Without further ado,  here are the games we're most happy to see on this year’s release schedule.

Note: List is in alphabetical order. 

Bravely Second (3DS)Release: 2016

When you play a lot of games, it also means that you stop playing a lot of games, too. Sometimes it’s because you finish the campaign and there’s nothing else to do. Other times, the round is over and it’s time for bed. Then there are those other times where you just have to put the controller down – out of rage, frustration, boredom, or some combination thereof. That last scenario certainly happened to me several times over the course of 2015. Here are some of the reasons I gave up.

UndertaleNearly everyone I’ve talked to about Undertale raves about the game. Well, almost everyone. I caved in and bought the game, and ended up playing for about half an hour. Then I accidentally killed an enemy instead of sparing it, thanks to an overzealous attempt to skip through some text. The game’s gimmick is that it’s apparently possible to play through it without killing anything, and that you get the best ending by taking that route. After that mistaken kill, I shut it down. Sure, I can play through it, get another ending, and then watch the best one on YouTube, but that seems completely unsatisfying. Almost as unsatisfying as playing through the first 30 minutes all over again. I’ll wait a few months and give it another shot. For the time being, I don’t want to slog through that opening again.

This week, we take a look at a game that – at the very least – shares part of a title with a beloved classic.

 Microsoft's journey through 2015 was one filled with zig-zags and unexpected news, the attempts of a company trying to win back customers after a series of missteps that had people pulling away from the Xbox One. Just how successful were they?

Let's take a look back on Microsoft's achievements and stumbles this year and find out.

Games With Gold Improves

On the lead up to Game Informer's Game of the Year awards of 2015, we've invited a number of the video game industry's influential figures to share their favorite games of the year.

Mike Drucker has worn a lot of hats. He's written for both IGN and Nintendo and is now a writer for The Jimmy Fallon Show as well as a stand-up comedian.

Here are Drucker's top 10 picks for 2015:

Dave Goldfarb is the CCO of the Outsiders, a new development studio working on an unannounced project. He was also the game director for Payday 2 and has worked on games like Mirror's Edge and Battlefield 3.

Here's Goldfarb with his picks in no particular order:

Although it seems like I've played less games this year than any other, there were still a few standouts.

On the lead up to Game Informer's Game of the Year awards of 2015, we've invited a number of the video game industry's influential figures to share their favorite games of the year.

Best known for his work on Gone Home, Steve Gaynor is a writer and game designer at The Fullbright Company. His next project is 2016's Tacoma, a science-fiction tale of discovery set on a derelict space station. Gaynor's first foot in the video game industry came as a fan, making his own levels for F.E.A.R. His work caught the eye of TimeGate Studios, and he was hired as a level designer to work on F.E.A.R.'s Perseus Mandate expansion. Gaynor then joined 2K Marin as a designer for BioShock 2 and its Minerva's Den expansion. He joined Ken Levine at Irrational Games for BioShock Infinite, but let for the project was completed to create Fullbright Company with Karla Zimonja and Johnnemann Nordhagen in 2012.

Here's Gaynor's selections and thoughts on the best games of 2015:

BB-8 and R2-D2 may be cute, but Darth Vader is unquestionably the coolest and most iconic Star Wars character. Because of that, many Star Wars video games make sure the fan-favorite Sith gets his time in the spotlight. Scenes featuring Darth Vader have the potential to be the best and most memorable parts of a game…but they can also blow it and turn the fallen Jedi into a joke.

We’ve selected some of Darth Vader’s best and worst gaming appearances. For good or bad, they’re all memorable...whether they made you smile, laugh, wince, or pump your fist.

Best: The Wookiee-Killer (Star Wars: The Force Unleashed) Everyone loves Chewbacca, but those other wookiees? Well, let’s just say that no one complained when they saw Darth Vader – resplendent in his black armor and full command of the Force –  storming Kashyyyk and blasting Chewbacca’s compatriots off of cliffs.