Player play on, we’re talking video games and zodiac signs.
Though we now think of video games as a homebound activity, experienced in basements and darkened living rooms by those looking to escape or enact some version of reality, gaming was actually born, like Dolly the sheep and Cool Ranch Doritos, in a research laboratory.
In the late 1960’s German developer, inventor and Pisces Ralph Henry Baer, known in the industry as the Father of Video Gaming, created a prototype of a multiplayer, multi-program video game with the UPS-sounding moniker “The Brown Box.”
The Brown Box begat the Atari arcade game Pong, one of the first mass-market video games, followed in short order by Space Invaders and Donkey Kong, thereby solidifying the power of the pixel and the purchasing potential of geeks the world over.
Today video games are a “$100 billion global industry, and nearly two-thirds of American homes have household members who play video games regularly.” For some, the obsession with gaming has proven hazardous to health and personal relationships, bad news bears for bank accounts and a hitch in the giddy-up of getting it on.
The World Health Organization declared gaming disorder an addictive behavior in 2019 based on a review of 160 studies and “a consensus of experts.” But it is a mixed bag folks as some studies link gaming with improved cognition and memory recall in young children.
Blessing or bane, cognitive builder or blocker, and in honor of National Video Game Day on September 12, read on to discover the video game that aligns with your zodiac sign.
ARIES (March 21 – April 19)
AEW
Cardinal fire, Aries is ruled by Mars, a planet named for the god of war whose MO, much like the tagline of this wrestling game, is fight forever. Highly physical and easily agitated, Aries folk find a welcome home in this staggering work of shirtless pageantry. For more of the same, read our guide to the WWE superstar that aligns with your zodiac sign.
TAURUS (April 20 – May 20)
New World
Taurus rules the second house of worth and wealth, values and valuables. The highest expressions of this sign are stability, the cultivation of beauty and collective comfort. At their worst, Taurus equals Gollum-level greed, colonial conquest and the misguided belief that more is more, a holy trinity of energy found in the game New World. The premise, according to one reviewer is this, “You’re shipwrecked on a mystical island called Aeternum, which is rumored to be full of treasures. This is all a thinly veiled excuse to go out and plunder everything you see, and New World wastes no time teaching you how to cut a direct swath through its breathtaking wilderness; you’ll soon find yourself chopping down every tree, skinning every animal, and mining every ore node in sight, then turning their raw resources into the local Town Project board or just selling them to other players at the trading stall.” Monopolizing and monetizing a breathtaking wilderness? Profits over people? Real deal bad bull energy folks.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 20)
Rust
Gemini is a mercurial sign that is moved by language and prone to extremes in thought, opinion and action. Enter Rust a game/survivalist hellscape described by one reviewer as “Wake up naked, run for your life, do horrible things to one another. There is no grander narrative, or mythos or win condition.” Sounds like simple politics to me folks. The game leverages the power of sound in that there is little other than the hostile s–t talking amongst players, a sonic sport Gemini was born to play.
CANCER (June 21 – July 22)
Legend of Zelda
Cancer represents the divine feminine and the archetype of the mother and Zelda, the namesake of this beloved game, is the incarnation of a female deity drawing power from the matriarchs that came before her. It tracks. Cancers are known for their sensitivity but as Zelda perennially proves, they are equally imbued with strength and the indomitable spirit of survival, just ask double Cancer, Courtney Love. Burdened by guilt, prone to martyrdom and imbued with magic, Zelda represents the holy trinity of cardinal water.
LEO (July 23 – August 22)
Hogwarts Legacy
Leo is a sun-ruled sign that burns brightest as a hype man/webcam star/hero on an ordained quest. Leo represents the carnival lights and wonderment of the inner child and this game is set at the secondary school anyone with a lick of imagination wishes they went to. The game description also reads like straight cat nip, “Your character is a student who holds the key to an ancient secret that threatens to tear the wizarding world apart. Now you can take control of the action and be at the center of your own adventure in the wizarding world. Your legacy is what you make of it.” Taking control of the action? The center of anything? Pure lure for lions.
VIRGO (August 23 – September 22)
Stray
Virgo rules the sixth house of daily rituals and service, the natural domain of small animals and familiars. Enter Stray, a game that follows clever cats clawing their way back to the surface. Virgos have a reputation for brilliance, problem solving, loner tendencies and an aversion to germs and grime, all qualities found in the whiskered protagonists of this game. Add to the (meow) mix that Virgos are blessed/cursed with a keen kind of vision/omniscience that allows them to see the potential in all things and all people and Stray is presented through a third-person perspective
LIBRA (September 23 – October 22)
Dune: Spice Wars
This video game is based on the novel saga and world creation of Libra novelist Frank Herbert. As the sign of justice, diplomacy and partnership, Libras are naturally aligned with this game of strategy, political power grabs, recruitment ploys and spice management. Additionally, Libra is ruled by Venus, planet of finances and finery, and in this game, as in the larger game of life, he who controls the riches rules the day.
SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21)
Hades
Scorpio is ruled by Pluto, named for the death-dealing, life-giving god of the underworld, and known by the ancient Greeks as Hades. Scorpio lords over the eighth house of sex, secrets, death and regeneration imbuing natives with a strong affinity for the dark and an ordained hero’s journey towards integrating the light. In-kind, the protagonist of this game is Zagreus, the immortal son of the god of the dead whose given quest is an exodus from the underworld aided by nightly reflection and the destruction of angry souls, a trajectory that reads like the daily chores of the average Scorpio.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 21)
Uncharted
Sagittarius, represented by an exploratory centaur with his arrow raised towards the great unknown, is a sign synonymous with learning and roaming. Ruled by pot of gold planet, Jupiter natives are a twist-cone blend of optimism and good fortune. In-kind, Uncharted is a game that follows treasure hunters (a naturally optimistic lot) as they traverse the globe in search of riches and in pursuit of mystery.
CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 19)
Minecraft
Capricorn is a sign that doesn’t settle for base camp or second place and Minecraft is the best-selling video game of all time. Ruled by Saturn, the great teacher, restricter and builder Caps are all about laying the grout and groundwork of empire and legacy. Thus, the block-by-block, strategic resourcing of Minecraft is absolutely in line with their archetype.
AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18)
Anthem
Aquarius is a sign synonymous with autonomy, space travel, dehydrated fruit, technology, genetic modifications, cults and humanitarian pursuits. Enter Anthem, a game set on the faraway planet of Coda where players assume the role of Freelancers (apt considering every water bearer is inherently a solo rolling, strange-acting freelancer of some sort). Ruled by structured Saturn and upend it all Uranus, Aquarians ride the line between chaos and containment, the status quo and the never-before-seen, progress and annihilation. This dichotomy is made manifest in the game’s title, itself a reference to the Anthem of Creation, a mysterious and powerful force for creation, advancement and destruction.
PISCES (February 19 – March 20)
The Witcher
Made of mutable water and ruled by dreamy, deceptive planet Neptune, Pisces is witchy AF. This game takes place in a medieval fantasy world, apt for Pisceans who are prone to larping and romantic delusion. The game integrates many elements synonymous with the weird and wonderful world of this water sign, namely convenient amnesia, meditative states and the liberal use of intoxicants.
Astrology 101: Your guide to the star
- The 12 zodiac signs
- What are the astrology houses
- Here’s what each planet represents
- Sun, moon and rising signs: Get to know your Big 3
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. She is also an accomplished writer who has profiled a variety of artists and performers, as well as extensively chronicled her experiences while traveling. Among the many intriguing topics she has tackled are cemetery etiquette, her love for dive bars, Cuban Airbnbs, a “girls guide” to strip clubs and the “weirdest” foods available abroad.
