If you are a freelance SEO writer, you know how awkward holiday parties can be. Not awkward in the sense of drinking eggnog and sharing presents, but awkward when you get asked the classic question, “What is it that you do for work?”

A Jingle Bells Parody for Freelance Writers

The writers here at BKA Content feel your pain, and to bring some fun to this awkward question, the managers at BKA Content held a writer contest a few years ago and the winner got their version of “Jingle Bells” turned into a parody video. Enjoy this Jingle Bells spoof!

Every good freelance writer has their favorite distraction. Whether it be reading a book, taking a nap, going for a walk, getting lost in social media or doing a crossword puzzle (or like 5 billion other things), you just need to take a break sometimes. With it being National Video Games Day today, we felt like this would be the perfect opportunity to celebrate those freelance writers that get rid of writer’s block specifically through button smashing, multiplayer stratagem and epic virtual adventures. To all those video game content writers out there, we salute you.

Why Do Freelance Writers Play Video Games?

Aside from the obvious answers that video games are an escape from the real world and are a fantastic way to hide from any upcoming deadlines, there are actually a lot of reasons why freelance writers love video games. On top of that, there are lots of reasons that freelance writers should be playing video games. The greatest video game content writers rival that of any novelist or movie-script writer. If you believe you can learn from other great writers, then video games are an excellent case study. Here are a few examples of elements you can find in great video game writing.

Conflict Driven Stories

Any writer will tell you that the most compelling stories are the ones driven by conflict. When that conflict is front and center, it can drive all the other details of the story.  It’s the “why” of good story-telling. In video games, conflict is especially focused on. Who doesn’t want to rescue the princess, hide from the zombies or save the world?

Emotional Connections with Characters

While many video games rely on improved graphics to try and show emotion, the great ones make you feel it – whether or not the graphics are realistic or not. You buy into the characters and connect with them. You feel for their plight and you die a little inside when something bad inevitably happens to them. Great characters are the same across any medium – they are the ones that compel you to invest emotionally.

Audience-Driven Writing

With any great piece of content, you have to consider who you’re writing for. This is true for novels, movies and even blogging for businesses. If you understand your audience and what they feel, want and hope for, you can create a better written product. Video game developers spend months and years designing a video game that they believe people will enjoy. As a writer, you should understand and be able to quickly identify your target audience before starting to write.

Here are Freelance Writers’ Top 5 Video Games

Now that we’ve gotten through the “why” a freelance writer should play, now let’s get to the fun stuff – the “what” you should play. We did a survey within our freelance writing ranks to find our video game review writers’ top 5 video games of all time. We went broad on this one, allowing them to pick any game across any platform across whatever time period they’ve been alive.

We got tons of responses, so we’ll narrow it down to the top 5 video games/franchises that our freelance writers love, as well as the honorable mentions just so you have a decent list to start working through. We’ll also give some of the writers’ reasons as to why they loved each game. Let’s start with number 5:

Number 5 – Mario Kart

Reasons why our video game review writers love Mario Kart:

• Extremely fun to play with my kids. – Amanda H.
• Racing games are fun. Especially when they’re using Mario characters. – Jessica M.
• Way fun late-night slumber party game, even fun when you’re totally horrible! – Kayla G.
• It was my all-time favorite game until, well, Splatoon 2 came along. – Kelly S.

Number 4 – Super Smash Bros.

Screenshot Credit: Sideshow

Reasons why video game review writers love Super Smash Bros.:

• Childhood classic yet it’s growth and evolution is impressive. From the original to Brawl or Melee, this game has grown with generations. – Bekah
• There isn’t an argument or disagreement that can’t be settled over a game of smash. Pick from a million different characters who all feel balanced and prove your mettle. This game franchise was, is and continues to be awesome. – Matt S.
• This was my group of friends go-to on the weekend when we had nothing else to do. Lots of memories. – Caleb S.
• A game with a lot of good memories as I played with friends in my family’s game room. – Mike B.

Number 3 – The Sims

Screenshot credit: Origin

Reasons why video game article writers love The Sims:

SimCity

• Because I love building and designing things. I also love figuring out how best to get my cities to function. – Shannon H.

The Sims

• Because it’s like real life, only better and a lot more creative. – Shannon H.

The Sims 2

• I’ve been playing this game for literally ten years. So, it has tons of replay value, to say the least. – Hannah J.

The Sims 3

• I’ve recently gotten more into this one. It’s pretty good! – Hannah J.

Number 2 – The Legend of Zelda

Screenshot credit: DenofGeek

Reasons why video game review writers love The Legend of Zelda series:

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

• Interesting puzzles and surprises. – Tina B.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

• My top 5 list would only be filled with Zelda games, but that would be boring, so I just picked the one that got me hooked on the series. – Caleb S.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

• Zelda on the Wii was an amazing experience for me. Using the Wii remote to mimic a sword felt like I was actually sword fighting. And the flying is hella fun! – Bekah

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

• Puzzle-style challenges and gorgeous artwork. – Amanda H.
• I’m a Zelda fanboy, I’ll admit it. This game was a masterpiece. I didn’t know it was possible to reinvent open world games all over again, but they did it. So much exploring to do and endless hours of trying to find stupid Koroks. – Matt S.
• Zelda BotW was on another level when it came out. The world was huge, the story was compelling and it was Zelda! This was another game where it seems like they thought of everything and made anything possible in the game. – Jon B.

Number 1 – Pokemon

Screenshot Credit: Nintendo

Reasons why video game content writers love Pokemon:

Pokemon

• IT IS EVERYONE’S #1!!! LOL it’s just a childhood favorite. – Kayla G.

Pokémon (Leaf Green)

• I spent too many hours of my childhood playing this game not to list it! – Sabrina M.

Pokemon Blue

• I was obsessed with Pokemon as a kid. I literally went everywhere with my Gameboy Pocket and Pokemon Blue. – Caleb S.
• The first video game I ever bought, and I played it on-and-off for years. – Mike B.

Pokemon Puzzle League

• I could hold my own against my kids for a long, long time.

Pokemon X

• I have loved Pokemon since the days of Red and Blue. X and Y just happen to be my favorite (as well as my favorite Pokemon anime series). I may have had a minor crush on the electric gym leader… – Jessica M.

Honorable Mentions

These games/franchises had multiple mentions but just fell short of the top 5. But if multiple video game review writers/editors vouch for them, then you know they’re gonna be good. Here are the honorable mentions in no particular order.

Kingdom Hearts

• Beautiful story, and everyone loves Disney interaction!! – Kayla G.
• Childhood favorites never die. – Sabrina M.

Destiny

• Destiny was the most fun I’ve ever had online playing with friends. The fact that you could 3 person co-op the entire game made it so much fun. There were new challenges every week, insane raids that I have no idea how the developers thought up of and tons of grinding. Ok I didn’t love the grinding, but it made the rewards feel so much more special. – Jon B.
• I have a love/hate relationship with this game. I’ve had some of the best multiplayer gaming experiences of my life playing with friends, but also the grind of the game drove me up the wall. Ultimately the good outweighs the bad, though. For now. I think. – Matt S.

Final Fantasy

• Final Fantasy VI – The story. – Tina B.
• Final Fantasy XIV – My best friend just recently introduced me to it and I can’t get enough. I’m a Lalafellin archer. I love that you can customize your character and the story is just so engaging! – Jessica M.

Plants Vs. Zombies

• Classic video game play plus crazy, whimsical, funny characters. It’s just a really fun way to spend a little spare time when I’ve got it and never fails to make me smile. – Shannon H.
• I love the idea of plants fighting back. – Niesha R.

Mass Effect (series)

• For Mass Effect 2 – Amazing story with tons of character customization. I love to create characters in my mind, so being able to play as a rogue mercenary on one playthrough, a save-the-galaxy defender of justice on another and even a “bad” guy was tons of fun. – Brian E.
• I love narrative-driven games. – Veronica E.
• Interesting story. Sci Fi themes. – Tina B.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

• Amazing open world game with enormous replay value- every game you play can be completely different from the last. The character customization is fantastic. It’s a timeless game with something for everybody. You can slay a dragon, fist fight thieves, make armor or build a house, pick flowers and make potions, climb a mountain, cast spells, or steal and sneak your way through towns. The medieval setting is always cool for me- very Lord of the Rings-esque. – Bekah
• Dragons, wizards, massive battle axes. Need I say more? – Sabrina M.

Super Mario Bros. 

• Super Mario Bros. (NES) – The first game I played. It introduced me to video games and provided me and my sisters with many hours of entertainment. – Kelly S.
• Super Mario Odyssey – A true work of art. – Mike B.

Tetris

• Because of the colors and the satisfaction that comes with clearing the levels, getting everything to fit together, and so forth. – Shannon H.
• Mmmmmm, squares of spinach. – John B.

World of Warcraft

• Tons of lore and a continuing story, plus beautiful scenery. – Amanda H.
• I don’t know, it stole years of my life and yet plagues my dreams. – John B.

Other Video Game Suggestions

These games all had single votes, but we figured it couldn’t hurt to include them as well. The more great games to sort through, the better! See what these video game review writers had to say:

Alice: Madness Returns	It’s beautiful, feminist and I love all things horror and Alice in Wonderland.	Veronica E.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent	This classic gem ignited my love of indie horror games.	Veronica E.
Bioshock Infinite	Amazing storyline and great game play!	Sabrina M.
Chrono Trigger	Everything: The music, story, mechanics and character design are all great.	John B.
Civilization	Similar reasons to SimCity. I enjoy building the civilizations and helping them to function properly. I also love how history, military strategy, science, and culture factor into the game play on this one.	Shannon H.
Dance Dance Revolution	You can’t beat the feeling of winning against your older brother at fast-paced J-Pop on a super hard level.	Kayla G.
Diablo or Gauntlet	(They are basically the same game.) Probably because I can play this with my kids and not look like I’m game illiterate.	Niesha R.
Divinity	This is THE dungeon crawler, in my opinion. The crafting system, amazing. The dense story line yet ability to do pretty much whatever you want is a unique feature for a game to have.	Bekah
Duck Hunt	Bundled with Super Mario Bros so one of my first games too, and I’ll always love to hate that dog.	Kelly S.
Dynasty Warriors (regular and Gundam)	Repetitive but addictive! Requires a lot of concentration at the same time. Also, there are many characters to choose from and even more move combinations to learn and use.	Bekah
Fallout 3	Graphics. Lots of missions.	Tina B.
Goat Simulator	My apartment does not allow real goats.	John B.
Gran Turismo Series	As a kid, I was obsessed with cars and racing games. Gran Turismo was the ultimate racing game, with accurate car designs, sounds and driving physics. I absolutely loved every minute of racing and still do.	Jon B.
GTA V	The open world nature of this game is second to none. You can step inside Los Santos and be anyone and do anything. Want to play tennis, poker, sky dive, race fast cars, steal military jets or explore the ocean in a submarine? You can do all of that and pretty much anything else you can think of.	Jon B.
Halo 3	I love the original Halo trilogy, but this is the one I played the most online with friends.	Caleb S.
Hearthstone	It’s a lot easier to travel with than my, like, 200-pound collection of M:TG cards.	John B.
Just Dance	It’s exercise that you get points for. Plus, I’m really great at it, so I kick butt when I play against friends.	Hannah J.
LA Noir	I just finished this game last week, and I still can’t get over the amazing writing.	Sabrina M.
Left 4 Dead 1 and 2	I have great memories of playing these games with high school and college friends.	Veronica E.
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime	Hahaha. You should really try this game out. It’s awesome.	Niesha R.
Mario Party	It’s part board game and part no holds bar battling against your friends. What’s not to love?	Jessica M.
Metal Warriors	This is a SNES classic. It brings back so many fun memories growing up with friends. This was one of the first games that let you go head to head against friends with different kinds of giant robots. We had such a blast together. This eventually lead to great games such as Super Smash Bros., Worms and Mario Party, but for me, this one started it all.	Brian E.
Minecraft	I like building little farms/cabins, collecting animals, living that farm life…	Hannah J.
Night in the Woods	The characters are as colorful as the artwork.	Veronica E.
No Man’s Sky	The math behind the procedural generation and stunning graphics.	Amanda H.
Overwatch	It’s fun.	Caleb S.
Portal	Snarky humor and challenging puzzles.	Amanda H.
PS4’s Spider-Man	Really the one that got me back into gaming after a long absence.	Mike B.
Rock Band	Totally the best way to hang out with friends, even if you don’t actually know how to play the drums or guitar.	Kayla G.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole	Just a lot of fun.	Mike B.
Splatoon 2	Just can’t put it down… argh! Relaxing, fun and competitive.	Kelly S.
SSX Tricky	This one one of the first games where I ever unlocked everything and I felt like such a champ when I did. Eddie and Mac were my go-to characters.	Jessica M.
Star Wars Battle Front 2 (PS2)	It’s another game with tons of replay value. It’s a shooter game, but you fight clones and robots, so you’re not “hurting” “people”.	Hannah J.
StarCraft 1 and 2	I’ve played this game since I was in middle school and it’s still a go-to for a quick chess match. Strategy, adrenaline and LAN parties galore. I know it’s nerdy, but it’s kept my child friendships alive and we have all sorts of memories preemptively typing “GG” before the match was over to try and up the stakes.	Matt S.
Starfox	In real life, I’m afraid of flying, but I love pretend flying.	Niesha R.
Super Metroid	I love exploration, and this game was 100% about going anywhere your imagination takes you. Getting upgrades, exploring new levels and taking down tough bosses was extremely rewarding.	Brian E.
The Day of the Tentacle	I love classic point-and-click games, and pretty much anything from LucasArts was hilarious as well as interesting. The Dig was another favorite, but I’d lean towards Day of the Tentacle just because it made me laugh so hard.	Brian E.
The Witness	I like tough puzzle games like Myst, but I’m not a fan of the way Myst locks you into static screens. The Witness gives you freedom to explore and there are great puzzles that require lots of outside-of-the-box thinking and deductive reasoning. That’s right up my alley.	Brian E.
Uncharted 2	All of the Uncharted series is amazing but Uncharted 2 was the one that got me hooked and changed the game. Being a treasure hunter and solving puzzles while fighting off bad guys is so much fun.	Jon B.
Wario’s Woods	I didn’t discover this game until I was an adult, but I have it on multiple systems. Challenging puzzler fun that differs enough from the Tetris formula.	Kelly S.

Freelance Writers’ Greatest Video Game Achievements

Last of all, let’s get to the payoff of playing video games. Believe it or not, playing video games as a freelance writer isn’t just a waste of time. Not only can you work on your writing skills as a storyteller and get lost in an adventure, you can also walk away feeling quite proud of yourself.

Video game writers have presented people with incredibly tough challenges over the years that take a certain amount of focus/dedication and hard work to overcome. Our freelance writers are no different. Here are a few of our video game review writers’ proudest gaming moments:

• I always enjoy it when I beat a Nintendo expert’s time in Mario Kart time trials. – Kelly S.
• Probably the time I successfully recreated my hometown and entire social circle on The Sims. I love finding ways to bring aspects of my real life and the people I love into the little worlds I create in  the games I play. – Shannon H
• Finally Capturing Mew in Pokemon Blue. – Mike Bedard
• Finding the glitch in the original Pokemon Blue that gave you Mew. It was the coolest thing ever. And being a kid, I felt like I had uncovered the greatest gift of all time. (Man, I wish my Gameboy still worked…) – Jessica M.
• I’m pretty proud of the fact that I’m absolutely unbeatable at Mario Party 4 and 5. – Sabrina M.
• 100%-ing Alice: Madness Returns. It’s the only game I’ve loved enough to dedicate that amount of time to. – Veronica E.
• My defining moment in gaming was discovering how to reach the underwater level (called Meridia) in Super Metroid. A bunch of friends and I were playing together, and we knew where we needed to go, but there didn’t seem to be any way to get there. We ran back and forth for probably an hour, when suddenly I had the idea to set off one of our bombs in a glass tunnel. The moment that glass shattered (interacting with the environment like that was rare in games back then), I had this sensation of euphoria, joy, satisfaction, pride and amazement, all at the same time. – Brian E.
• Beating Night Gundam in Dynasty Warriors Gundam. The hardest thing I’ve ever done. – Bekah
• Finally finishing Pokémon:Ruby at age 20. - Kayla G.
• Completing a long and challenging series of quests to earn the “Timelord” title in World of Warcraft. – Amanda H.
• Not a boast, but several years ago, my 13 year old had beaten nearly all the monsters on Paper Mario. He was doing really well, and it was evening, so we all ended up sitting around watching and cheering him on. (We had a pretty young crowd with nine kids under 13.) He’d made it to the final boss, and we were literally holding our breath, seconds away from winning the game. At this point, we really hadn’t ever been involved enough in a game to beat it, so we were pretty excited. Just before the final hit, one of my younger sons jumped up! He was so into the game. And he stepped on the N64, hitting the reset button … and just like that we never beat the game. – Niesha R.
• Maxing out Kimahri’s luck stat on Final Fantasy X. That’s a lot of Attack Reels. – John B.
• Whenever I play a certain level on Star Wars Battlefront 2, I always destroy over 10 tanks, which is pretty good. – Hannah J.
• Pretty much anytime I can Platinum a game. – Jon B.
• Defeating the water temple in Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time without using any walkthroughs. Take that, internet! – Matt S.
• I remember getting 35+ kills in an online Halo match to carry my team to victory and feeling like I was the NBA MVP. – Caleb S.
• Beat Bioshock on the highest difficulty setting. Because it was hard. – Tina B.

Game On!

Every day can be National Video Games day if you let it. We know we may not have covered all of the best video game writing, and that’s why we want to hear from a video game content writer such as yourself. Tell us about your favorite video game reviews, as well as your favorite gaming achievements. Let us know in the comments below!

Or if you’re a gamer interested in becoming a freelance writer, we have a spot for you, too. Come see how to become a writer with us and join our community!

Each Christmas, we try to hold a fun Christmas event that includes participation from writers, editors and management. Since we are a content creation company, being creative comes second nature to most of the amazing people that work with us. Adding that creativity to holiday themes has been one of our favorite company culture traditions.

Christmas Poem Writing Remix

For a few holiday writer/editor contests, we’ve asked writers to change the words to popular Christmas songs, stories or poems. A few years back, we had our writers/editors change the words to the famous Christmas poem, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, to better encapsulate what it’s like being a freelance content writer.

The results were hilarious and are still relevant today to freelance writers everywhere! The twist to this contest was that not only did the top 3 entries win cash prizes, but the management here at BKA re-enacted the winning entry in a video!

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (Normal Version)

Before we get into the absolute comedy genius of the video, let’s cover a few stats/FAQs of the original Christmas poem, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”.

Q. Who Wrote ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas?

A. It was Clement Clarke Moore. He was a professor of Theology and Oriental and Greek Literature.

Q. How Many Words are in ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas?

A. There are approximately 500 words. Oh and there were approximately 8 reindeer mentioned. You’re welcome.

Q. What are the Original Lyrics of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas?

A. You can find the original lyrics to this Christmas poem here.

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (Funny Version)

As amazing as the original version of the Christmas poem is, it’s hard to beat this funny version as it relates to SEO content writing. For the record, Linsi Peck had the winning entry of her version of ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas poem. Enjoy the video everyone and feel free to share it!

There are three things we love at BKA: Christmas, community and company culture. Despite most of our company being scattered all over the country, we strive to create events that bring us all together. This year, we decided to bring the power of the BKA community together to bring hope, happiness and Santa to families struggling within our community.

This state has been good to us as we’ve grown and found our footing in the industry, so this was the perfect opportunity to give back a little of what we’ve been given. Working with Your Community Connection here in Ogden, we had the chance to sponsor 10 children and bring them a few of life’s basic necessities along with some special toys and presents they’ve been hoping Santa would bring.

The Call for Help

Our writers were invited to join in on the fun and reap the rewards that come from focusing on something bigger than ourselves. With the help of Amazon and their fantastic shopping lists, writers sent toys, coats, shoes, clothing, pajamas, socks, underwear and anything else the kids requested. It was a humbling experience to watch package after package come in as our writers answered the call sent out by those in our community who have fallen on hard times and need some extra support.

The company made up the difference with the things our writers couldn’t send, and we delivered 10 large sacks of goodies to the community center on December 10. The parents now have the chance to wrap the gifts and be involved in Christmas for their children, experiencing the joy that comes from a child’s smile when they realize that Santa made an appearance.

A Small Gift Goes a Long Way

At BKA, we never want to forget the lessons we’ve learned and the support we’ve been given over the years. We want to stay in touch with the needs of our community and always foster a culture of fun, giving and inclusion within our ranks. We thank everyone who sent packages and those who simply included a thought or prayer for these special kids.

All kids should know the joy of Santa Claus and the magic of Christmas, and we are so thankful we could give hope back to those who need it most. May you all have a merry Christmas and a happy new year, and always remember that just a simple smile can go a long way toward improving someone’s life. The world is a big place, and we are committed to changing it for the better one small act at a time.

Our favorite holiday smell:

BKA-ers prefer this at Christmas Dinner:

Dashing Decor

The magic of the season adorns the hearts and homes of our BKA team in all kind of ways.

We found out that most of us unapologetically place tacky decorations in places of honor (even when they scare the living daylights out of us), simply because their sentimentality means so much.

Most of us are staunch supporters of the no-decorating-until-after-Thanksgiving rule. And in general, we tend to prefer colorful Christmas trees.

Which type of lights do you prefer on your Christmas Tree?

Popular holiday tunes most likely to drive us nuts:

With the weather taking a nosedive and snowfall just around the corner, the holiday spirit is really starting to kick in. This is especially fitting since we were recently invited to take part in a local fundraising/charity event at Rice Eccles Stadium that involved both holiday spirit AND kicking.

Yesterday, Tuesday Nov. 7, we had the opportunity to attend the Startup Santa Tailgate at the football stadium at the University of Utah. The Startup Santa Tailgate is a children’s book drive fundraising event that is presented/sponsored by Boomsourcing. To gain entrance to the event, local businesses were asked to bring at least 5 new children’s books for each team member that wanted to attend.

Once inside the stadium, participants got the chance to kick field goals to try and earn some fun prizes. One member of our team, Jon Bingham, even held the record of the second longest field goal made at 51 yards (at least for a while). There were also food and drink items that could be bought, with all proceeds going towards the book drive.

We had a blast at the event and quickly learned how hard it is to kick a pigskin more than 25 yards (see video).  More than that, though, it felt good to contribute to a cause that is making a difference in the lives of thousands of children in our community and throughout the state.

The Startup Santa initiative uses events like this to collect new books and money to support childhood literacy programs for low-income families in Utah.  Last year, they collected around 87,000 books and nearly $437,000 in donations to support underprivileged kids. This year they are hoping to do much more than that.  At BKA Content, words are our business, so being able to give back in a word format (books) is an absolute perfect fit.

We know there are many ways to give back during the holiday season and we encourage you to do so in whatever way you see fit. If you’re still looking for ways to help this holiday season, the Startup Santa initiative might be a great place to start.  See how you can help by visiting their website here.

Everybody likes a vacation, right? What better way to get away than to get lost in an alternate reality?! In honor of National Video Games Day (and because we appreciate all kinds of content here at BKA), we’ve put together a list of our top 25 favorite video games, spanning across all systems and consoles.

It was Uncharted territory for us, and it felt a lot like a Harvest Moon solar eclipse was going on here in the office (based on all the excitement and the Halo that appeared), but once we took a break from Super Smashing each other’s opinions and went outside in the Donkey Kong Country air to get a Breath of the Wild, it was as if there was a Sonic boom and things started to really make sense. So, you could say it was Destiny that we decided to pull the Chrono Trigger on this list…. Ok, I’ll stop.

The grading rubric was based entirely on pure, unadulterated, extremely biased opinions. It was tough to narrow it down to just 25, but we think we’ve found some real winners.  We had contributions from many of our management, development and executive team members but are always open to other suggestions. Whether you do or don’t agree with this list, we’d love to hear about it.

So, without further ado, here are the BKA Top 25 favorite video games listed in alphabetical order:

BattleToads

BattleToads were the definition of cool. Everybody loved the Ninja Turtles, myself included. Fun, lovable turtles. But the BattleToads were not to be messed with. Punching battle-ready pigs off screen or drop-kicking kangaroos into oblivion was the most satisfying feeling. But don’t even get me started on the racing sequence in level 3. That had to be the most maddening level ever, especially if you’re playing 2 players with someone that just can’t cut it. As hard as it was, I loved BattleToads. – Jon Bingham

Chrono Trigger

The Super Nintendo had loads of amazing RPGs, but this one stands out.  This game had time travel, dinosaurs, magic and robots, but still felt like it was all packaged together in a medieval fantasy-adventure game.  The music was legit, the characters were lovable, and the time-travel decisions you made actually affected the outcome of the game.  That’s right, there were multiple endings – 13 to be exact.  Making decisions that mattered in an already well-narrated story made this adventure come to life. – Matt Secrist

Contra

↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← →­ B A Start. Everybody knows the code for 30 extra lives, and you needed them if you wanted to make it far in Contra. Running and gunning your way through every level, picking up new guns (spread gun was the best) and fighting robotic bosses was the best. Contra was hands down one of the best NES games ever. – Jon Bingham

Destiny

I can easily say, without a doubt, that I’ve never played a game more than I did Destiny. Love it or hate it, you have to admit that at some point you were absolutely addicted to the game. The way Bungie’s leveling system worked made you want to grind day and night just to get a slightly better piece of gear or a new weapon with an awesome ability (I’m looking at you Gjallarhorn). Getting exotic engram drops in a strike and then having the Cryptarch give you something worthless from it, was both exhilarating and infuriating.

And raids, what can I even say about raids? I’ve never played a co-op mission that was so difficult, confusing or amazing. The amount of team work needed and the uniqueness of each one was something so fun and so frustrating. – Jon Bingham

Donkey Kong Country

Donkey Kong Country was one of the first platformers that broke from the classic Mario world that was both gorgeous (remember the underwater levels) and incredibly fun to play for its time. In Donkey Kong Country, the two-player swap system between Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong was awesome as it allowed you and your best friend to take the lead on different challenging levels throughout the game. Who knew that riding mine carts and collecting bananas could be so much fun? – Greg Secrist

Dr. Mario (NES or Wii version):

There are many nights where I fall asleep and my dreams consist of small pills lining up and disappearing when there are four in a row. The day I learned that removing two viruses at the same time dropped bombs on the other player was the day I truly mastered Dr. Mario. Now, my husband and I play on level 15 at medium speed and annihilate each other on a regular basis. We have the original system (and it still works), but you can also download Dr. Mario on the Wii and use the Wii controllers to play. I’ve heard from Matt that he can beat me, but I think he just doesn’t want to admit that a girl is better than him at a video game because it’s so emasculating.

Pro tip: if you are playing on a higher level where you must get the viruses from the side, don’t use the down button on your controller to make them drop faster, or you will die. Let it play out while your opponent tries to rush them, and you will win every time. – Katie Price

GoldenEye

Today’s first-person juggernauts such as Destiny and Halo all started somewhere, and that somewhere was with Goldeneye. This James Bond based shooter became one of the best known N64 games and was such a blast to play.

What made this game so much fun was the ability for 4 people to play simultaneously on one TV. I can’t even tell you how many late nights I had with my friends searching for the coveted golden gun to get the infamous one-shot-kill just to rub it in their face for weeks afterward. The replay ability of this game was unmatched for its time and I still have fond memories of it to this day. – Greg Secrist

Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec

I LOVED cars as a kid and there was no other game at the time that fulfilled that desire to drive awesome cars at high speeds like the Gran Turismo franchise. I’d give GT3 the nod as my overall favorite. The upgraded graphics on the PS2 made the cars look so good and the driving felt so realistic. Being able to choose from 100s of amazing cars and drive them on world famous tracks kept me playing for a very long time. Gran Turismo will always be one of my favorites. – Jon Bingham

GTA 5

Grand Theft Auto 5 is literally endless amounts of fun. The game has been out for nearly 4 years now and Rockstar is STILL creating incredible new content for it. Having the ability to do practically anything you want in a game with an environment as large as Los Santos makes every moment of gameplay fun and unexpected. The campaigns were fun, but playing online with a group of friends, running around town and wreaking havoc is about as much fun as you could ever have. – Jon Bingham

Halo

To me, the perfect Friday night in Jr. High School was spent with my closest friends playing Halo in my parent’s basement. Hooking up the LAN cables to connect multiple Xboxes, busting out the Doritos and Mountain Dew, and hearing the title screen theme song were all sure signs of the fun to come.

This was the game that got me started on online gaming and introduced me to the world of pwning noobs and getting cursed at by random 12-year-olds (using words I never knew existed). One of my best friends I made in high school was thanks to hours spent playing Halo 3 together. So, thank you Halo, for all the good (and the bad) you have brought to my life. – Caleb Shepherd

Harvest Moon

The Harvest Moon games are great because there just aren’t many other games like them. While many people assume the gameplay is slow and tedious, they are actually really addictive and much more complex than they seem. There are tons of things to do in the game and you can play it however you want. Plant crops, raise animals, go mining for ore, or get to know the townspeople. You may even find your husband or wife…in the game, that is.

There is so much to do you must learn to manage your time wisely. If you are sick of stressful games that make you want to throw your controller at your TV, you should give a farming simulation a try. There are several Harvest Moon titles, and you can’t really go wrong with any of them. – Liz Houtz

King’s Quest 1: Quest for the Crown

I still remember sitting at our family computer as a little kid, controlling a little yellow man with a blue hat and a red shirt while navigating fairy-tale related challenges to earn the title of King. I typed in commands and hoped they worked as I used my magic mirror, ran away from thieves, stumped Rumpelstiltskin, defeated the troll under the bridge and eventually climbed a beanstalk to take on giants.

This game captured my imagination in every way, and also challenged me to think outside the box and look for things that weren’t obvious. I can’t remember how many times I used the save button or how many faulty commands I typed, but I remember the thrill of finally getting it right. – Matt Secrist

The Last of Us

I’m a sucker for zombie movies, and this game was the best zombie movie ever made.  That’s right, it’s basically a movie. That you can play. That’s about zombies. And it’s awesome.

The Last of Us takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where the zombies are both somewhat believable and legitimately scary.  There were times I was playing this at night in my apartment alone and my heart was beating out of my chest because I was genuinely on edge. The scenery was beautiful yet eerie, and survival and stealth were just as important as being able to blow the head off of a clicker zombie when you alerted it by being too loud.  But it’s hard to talk too much about the amazing gameplay and visuals when it pales in comparison to the character-driven storyline of Ellie and Joel.  You fall in love with the characters, and the story compels you to go on into this god-forsaken world until at last you get to that one part at the end… – Matt Secrist

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

If I had to pick one game that truly shaped my love of video games, it would be The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. This was the first Zelda game I ever played and I remember falling in love with the music (which still gets stuck in my head on a daily basis) and getting lost in the world, that I now have memorized like the back of my hand, collecting new weapons and preparing to defeat Ganondorf and save Princess Zelda.

Since then I have beat the game more times than I can count in addition to playing every Zelda game that has been made and spending over $1,000 on new gaming consoles knowing I will likely only use them to play Zelda. To me, this game is perfection and I will never grow tired of saving Hyrule. – Caleb Shepherd

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

While Ocarina of Time cemented my love for the Zelda franchise (and is still my absolute favorite game of all time), Breath of the Wild still felt like a game changer. The “open air” concept was unlike anything I’d ever played before.  You truly could explore EVERYTHING.  I spent hours upon hours just running around the map trying to explore, climb and upgrade everything, but I’m still not even close to finding it all.

Maybe my favorite thing about this game was the physics/logic system built in.  There were multiple ways to solve puzzles and if you thought of something that seemed like it would work, it usually would. Like using metal swords as conductors for electricity, or freezing ice blocks in a waterfall to be able to climb it. Then you could talk to your friends about the same puzzles/scenarios and realize you all did it differently. Trust me, we spent many lunch hours at the office (it was ONLY at lunchtime I swear!!) swapping stories of cool things we had encountered or ways we had beaten puzzles. The social aspect of the game made it something I’ll always remember.

Never have I played a game that captivated the sense of exploration and adventure quite like this one while still driving a solid Zelda story, no matter which route you took while playing it.  The champion of Hyrule does it again. – Matt Secrist

Mario Kart 64

Have you met anyone that didn’t love Mario Kart? I didn’t think so. I’ve yet to play a more competitive Nintendo game. Let’s face it, we’ve all spent countless hours with our friends trying to perfect the art of the kart. Like nailing the power slide (drift) around every corner, jumping the wall at the top of the first hill on Wario Stadium, or strategically placing banana peels on every corner that will result in one of your friends falling off the track and left to be picked up by the ever-slow moving Lakitu.  Or maybe you were the type that purposefully lagged close enough behind last place hoping the next item box you drive over will land you the lightning so you can use it just before your friends go off the long ramp on Royal Raceway.

Am I sparking any memories here?! Did everyone else fight over who got to be Yoshi or Peach? How many controllers were broken from poor sports after a loss? Did the unpredictable nature of every single game keep you up until the wee hours of the morning? Just one more race! I’ve got you this time! This game was the single biggest bonding element in my childhood friendships, the fuel to my competitive nature, and the reason that my loyalty to Nintendo still exists. – Drew Allen

Ms. Pac-Man

It may seem simplistic by today’s gaming standards, but Ms. Pac-Man is a classic that will never go out of style. The maze filled with moving obstacles requires much more skill than the methodical munching of its Pac-Man predecessor. Each level of Ms. Pac-Man requires more difficult strategic decisions (bonus banana or ghost?) and faster reflexes (Eeeek! I’m not going to make it to the escape tunnel!). Just when you think you’ve got it mastered, the speed increases exponentially. But not before you get to rest your joystick hand for a brief moment and watch the yellow, lipstick-wearing protagonist get the best of Blinky, Pinky and Inky in a clever cartoon between levels. What’s not to love? – Melinda Rhodes

Pokemon Red & Blue

I remember playing Pokémon for the first time at my best friend’s house and immediately knowing I had to have it. A couple of weeks later I got Pokémon Blue Version and the rest is history. Countless hours were spent travelling through the Pokémon world trying to catch them all – not to mention the time spent watching the anime, collecting the cards, and playing with the toys. I even remember thinking my life was over one Christmas when I thought I didn’t get my special edition Pikachu Gameboy Color with Pokémon Yellow. So yeah, let’s just say that Pokémon was a pretty big deal to me as kid. – Caleb Shepherd

Red Dead Redemption

How many games do you remember that are centered around the western genre? Probably, none, right?  Then came Read Dead Redemption in 2010. This game was essentially GTA cowboys, and was an absolute blast to play.

Never before had a gamer been able to walk into a saloon and start a fist fight or pick up an innocent citizen and put them on the train tracks to meet their doom (heard you could do this from a friend of a friend…). Instead of stealing cars, you stole horses, robbed stage coaches, or spent time hunting bears in the woods all the while building up to a classic shootout with the villain.

It was a romantic homage to the western genre, while also making playing in that genre incredibly cool! Its gigantic open world, realistic environments and online multiplayer easily helped this game win Game of the Year and is an experience that I won’t soon forget. – Greg Secrist

Sonic the Hedgehog

When I think about Sonic the Hedgehog, I’m reminded of memories of carefree, warm, summer days of my friends and me sitting down to play. There is nothing quite like being an overconfident, blue hedgehog that can run faster than the speed of sound to reach the end of the level.  Dodging and weaving in and out of enemies and obstacles while attempting to get the fastest time ever (or at least beat your friends time), is a thrill.  Every little mistake erupts in laughter and every challenge overcome is a feeling of triumph. The upbeat cheerful music that the Sonic games are known for still makes me smile to this day. – Trevor Spencer

StarCraft

Requiring the dexterity of a pianist and the intellect of a grandmaster chess player, Starcraft is difficult. The combination of these two skills makes Starcraft one of the most challenging, yet rewarding, video games to date.  Starcraft is a Real Time Strategy game where two players battle it out through strategy by building bases and armies.  I’ve discovered endless amounts of tactics that can be accomplished to gain the upper hand against the opposition. The tug of war that occurs in a match is exhilarating, but the best feeling is finally destroying their base and seeing the sweet ‘VICTORY’ that pops up on the screen. – Trevor Spencer

Street Fighter 2 Turbo

Hoduken! Back in its heyday, you couldn’t walk into an arcade without this game being front and center. With a cast of unforgettable characters, it was so fun to pick your favorite character (RYU for me) and try and smash your opponent in the face until you reached victory. Learning and mastering the special moves on the d-pad was both frustrating and satisfying as the special moves could wreak absolute havoc on your enemy. Sonic Boom! – Greg Secrist

Super Smash Brothers (Melee)

My childhood and this game are inseparably connected. I’ve seen the Smash Brother series draw people together that seem to have little in common.  From foreign exchange students all the way to my closest friends, it doesn’t matter; Super Smash Brothers has always brought me a good time.  I love the contrast of a goofy, chaotic match with 3 of my other friends on Hyrule Temple, to having a serious tournament match on Final Destination. When I’m looking for a way to unwind, I know I can always go back to a brawl between friends playing Super Smash Brothers. – Trevor Spencer

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game

My childhood would not have been complete without a ninja turtle game that I could play with my best friends at literally every sleepover. There were so many things to love about this game as a kid including stealing life-infusing pizza from your friends when your life was already full, hitting fire hydrants and sewer hole covers into the foot clan, executing perfectly-timed jump kicks to beat bosses and the “A””B” button mashing special to name just a few.  In the end, beating the game in one go without using a continue was always the goal.  Plus, who could forget the line “Tonight I dine on turtle soup.”??  Classic. – Matt Secrist

Uncharted 2

The first Uncharted wowed PS3 owners everywhere by introducing us to the world of treasure-hunter Nathan Drake. Naughty Dog polished up everything from the first game and overdid it by 100 miles, completely nailing it with Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

This game looked gorgeous with Naughty Dog’s absolutely insane attention to detail. This realism was then matched with a never-before-seen level of voice acting and character development storytelling that we’ve only ever seen in movies. This game WAS a playable movie, and it was the first game of its time to have epic action sequences such as a train barreling uncontrollably through the mountains of Nepal that a gamer never forgets.

Not only did this game give us a blockbuster campaign, but the Uncharted multiplayer also had its debut. Nobody expected the multiplayer to be as fun as it was and it turned out being a huge hit. With each iteration of the game, Naughty Dog has truly outdone itself with its ability to create character driven stories as well as provide some of the most breath-taking moments gaming has to offer. Naughty Dog has proven that everything they touch turns to gold, and that all started with Uncharted 2 which deserved its Game of the Year award in 2009. – Greg Secrist

In July of this year, BKA Content had the opportunity to be a sponsor for the 10th Annual Operation Smile 5k Fun Run.  This is an event we’ve been sponsoring for the last 5 years, and hope to continue to do so for many years to come.

Operation Smile is an organization that dedicates itself to repairing cleft palates and lips for children who can’t afford the surgery themselves. Cleft lips and palates make it hard for children to smile, speak, and even eat. All proceeds from the event go directly to the cause. Overall, the event raised over $5,338; enough to give new smiles to 22 children!

The race was held on July 22, 2017 at Jensen Nature Park in Syracuse, UT.  It’s a beautiful setting for a race, complete with a large duck pond and bridge, mountains in the background, and a paved trail that’s stroller-friendly.  The event activities included the 10^th Annual Operation Smile 5k, the Kid’s 1K run, the 1-Mile walk, as well as a gazebo filled with snacks and treats where a raffle was held after the race.  We had a number of BKA team members there, and we really enjoyed the experience:

“There really is no better feeling than that of helping others in need.  The race was a blast, the atmosphere was fun and it’s nice to know that kids in our community can benefit from something like this.” – Caleb Shepherd, Account Manager at BKA Content

If you weren’t able to join us for the 5k Fun Run but still want to be involved and donate to the cause, head to the Operation Smile Fun Run website for more information.

Over the past few years, we have involved our writers in helping us to create the premise for a silly video around Christmas time. We enjoy putting together these creative masterpieces as a way of saying ‘thank you’ to our writers.

For this year’s Christmas video, we held a poll in which our writers could choose some of the elements of the film such as the main characters, the film style, and some of the unique identifiers of the characters. We had record participation and our writers chose some pretty funny things that we then had to build a story around.

This year’s video was our largest video endeavor to date! We had 39 scenes with special effects (one of which consisted of creating an entire video game battle that took over a full day to create), 3 days of filming, and a custom created soundtrack done by Caleb Swanberg.

So without further ado, here is our Silent Film – “Miracle on 3535 Lincoln Ave”

What was chosen?

Move Style: Silent Film

Main Problem: Distractions

Protagonist: Katie Price

Protagonist Personality: Wicked Smart

Protagonist’s Friend: Melinda Rhodes

Mentor: Cara Secrist

Mentor Unique Identifier: Fanny Pack, Step Ladder

Villain: Jon Bingham

Villain Unique Identifier: Stuffed animal, turtleneck

Villain Accent: Russian

Henchman: Trevor Spencer

Henchman Unique Identifier: Hunch Back

Who Dies?: Drew Allen, Liz Houtz

Weapon of Choice: Drew’s Puns

Cameo Appearance: Pokemon, Santa Claus

Thank You!

If you are a writer, we hope you enjoy seeing the things that the overwhelming vote selected. You are truly what makes BKA Content a great company and we appreciate all that you do.

If you aren’t a writer but stumbled across this page, we hope you enjoy this year’s zany creative gift to our amazing writing teams here at BKA!

Merry Christmas!