People don’t seem to understand that just because you like video games, it doesn’t mean you’re a complete social outcast. Playing video games is just another way to pass time, a healthy way to de-stress for an hour or two. Or five.

Okay, so maybe some of us have decided that the only way to truly see if we enjoy a game is to sit playing it for five hours straight with only bathroom breaks allowed. And that’s exactly what I did last week. I mean, when you have games like “Dishonored,” “Assassin’s Creed 3” and “Halo 4” out now, how can you resist?

“Dishonored”

“Dishonored,” released in early October, takes place in the city of Dunwall, in which the Black Death is killing most of the population. You play as Corvo Attano and, since the game is played from first-person perspective, you get to see your hands waving about (which is both good to make fun of and to be slightly creeped out by). Let’s be honest though — the game itself is pretty freaking creepy. Within the first few moments of the game, the empress of Dunwall gets assassinated thanks to all the corrupt factions running around, and you, as Corvo, go on to avenge her.

The game gives the player plenty of options, so it’s completely possible to avoid killing anyone in the entire game. Of course, you can also have diseased rats eat people alive. Which is … interesting the first few times around (read: I giggled like a school girl because it was cool). The game makes up for its easiness by making the player immersed in the world. After a few hours, I realized I had completely lost the main storyline and was gleefully running around and looking at the beautiful graphics and designs within the world.

You aren’t playing this for the storyline. You’re playing this for the freedom and control that hasn’t really been found in a game since “Bioshock.”

“Assassin’s Creed 3”

“Assassin’s Creed 3,” released in late October, takes place in revolutionary America, where red coats are still bounding about and people can still walk around in strange white outfits with their hoods up without people constantly questioning them. You play as Native American Connor and the story follows most of his life.

This series is a fan favorite, but this game does have faults. While it gives you gorgeous settings and a lot of freedom later on in the game, the main character is easy to dislike. After having played Ezio for two games and getting close with his smooth-talking, womanizing ways, Connor’s hot temper is a dramatic change. Also, can we take a moment to talk about how painfully long the tutorial is? If you’ve never played “Assassin’s Creed” before, congratulations! You’ll learn how to now! If you have played before, be prepared to fight off wanting to gouge out your eyes and throw your controller down angrily and yell, “IF THIS WAS EZIO WE WOULDN’T HAVE TO RELEARN ALL THE CONTROLS, WOULD WE?!”

The small details really make this game shine and the fact that the plot expands over a series of years makes it fulfilling to play. If you can get over the first few hours and allow your nerves to recover, it’s a worthwhile play.

“Halo 4”

“Halo 4,” released in early November, is a continuation of the story of Master Chief, the protagonist for three of the games in the Halo series. Master Chief not only needs to save Earth, but this time around he also needs to help out his old friend, Cortana. As an artificial intelligence construct, she has a life span of seven years, after which she’ll slowly fade into insanity. The game covers a wide range of themes and features a surprisingly touching ending.

The “Halo” franchise actually switched hands from Bungie to 343 Industries, which works in the franchise’s favor. The game play is incredible and there is literally a gun for every occasion (I may have made a joke or two playing it, asking whether people thought my gun brought out my eyes). What really sticks out are the sound effects and the voice-overs. Jen Taylor and Steve Downes, who voice Cortana and Master Chief respectively, give emotional and powerful performances that really create a game that has both a beautiful combat system and a touching emotional storyline worth following.

This game is currently being called not only the best “Halo” game to date, but also the best game to come out on any console in 2012. Basically, it’s the “Mean Girls” of the video game world.

These three games are all sparkling additions to the video game world, so hop in losers, we’re going shopping.