Cognitive Effects of Knockout City Game

Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels

Millions of people play computer games, especially during the pandemic. Some people are simply addicted to some games, and many of us enjoy free trials.

When I was browsing the gaming news in my RSS feeds, the popular game Knockout City took my attention on social media. The issue was the free trial was ending. But then, the good news was this game will still be free to try after a free trial. The logic did not make sense, but it made the followers happy.

In this article, I want to introduce this exciting game as it attracts the attention of game enthusiasts in the US and many other countries.

My initial impression from what I read earlier was a boring game until I tried the free version on both Xbox and Playstation 5 consoles. In fact, this game is available on multiple platforms, including PCs. However, my PC couldn't handle it.

I enjoy all sorts of games like sports, racing, shooting, survival, and puzzles to keep my brain active. My primary goal is to increase my cognitive reserves as a precaution for the onset of Alzheimer's disease for my aging brain. Playing computer games help me keep my mental health and fitness. Knockout City is one of those games serving my purpose.

The Knockout City is a relatively new game that is trying to create its own category like Rocket League, which I introduced in an article previously on News Break.

In a nutshell, Knockout City is a highly competitive game of dodgeball. There is no story in the game, so it is not a story-based game. It is intended for online play with other players in different locations, including foreign countries and continents. It is a collaborative game allowing players to customise their characters, join crews and even create their teams by adding their online gaming mates.

Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels

I enjoyed the primary game mode. The mode comes with a massive game of dodgeball in a variety of comprehensive open maps. It includes three players on each team and each other to get ten knockouts. A knockout happens when you or an enemy is hit with a dodgeball twice. The knockout also occurs when a player falls out of the map.

As a player, you can avoid being hit by moving behind objects or by catching the dodgeball thrown at you. The funny part, if you don't have a ball, your teammates can curl into a ball shape and be thrown at enemies.

I noticed that special dodgeballs have special abilities, for example, the bomb ball. This specific ball explodes after players throw it. As a result, it causes damage to multiple enemies.

I noticed four other ball types. The cage ball traps enemies inside a ball-shaped cage. The moon ball allows players to jump higher while holding it. It also sends enemies flying away if they are hit with it. The multi-ball gives players the ability to carry three balls at once. And the sniper ball can be thrown at an extremely high velocity which makes it very hard to catch.

I also noticed five interesting features in this game. The first one is performing trick shots, such as curving the ball sideways or upwards. Another interesting part is faking your enemy by making it look like you are throwing the ball without actually throwing it. I found flying down from high areas with a hang glider very interesting.

The last two outstanding features are passing balls to your teammates to gain extra power when throwing and dodging forwards to hit players off a ledge. This last feature disarms them of a ball or deflects an incoming ball.

These exciting features can hook the player. It represents real-life ball games in virtual settings. Yes, without being physically hurt but mentally challenged.

This game also includes four other game modes that players can choose from.

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The first one is called "face-off". This is a one-on-one game mode. It means that there are no teams. Instead, it includes two players on their own in a map with a shrinking safe zone.

The next mode is "diamond dash". There can be two teams in this mode, and three compete in a match similar to the main game mode except that when a player is knocked out, they drop diamonds that count as points to whichever player picks them up. The team that gets to 30 points total wins.

The third mode is called "KO Chaos". In this mode, there can be four players, all without a team to defend them.

And the fourth mode is "Ball-up Brawl". In this mode, four players versus another four, however, without any dodgeballs. Instead, players must use their teammates as a ball to knock out the enemy.

When I was browsing the company website, I noticed that there would be new game modes with extra content to be released in the near future.

Overall, I enjoyed this game by exercising my mind and allowing me to relive my childhood with my gaming friends. In addition, playing an hour or so helped me to get rid of my daily work stress.

However, I was cautious not to get addicted as it is a type of game that may cause addiction, especially during this pandemic when we are locked inside for an extended time.

Thank you for reading my perspectives.

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