Dude… Like a REALLLL Video Game in Excel??? Like… Free, Right?
Yeah… That’s what I thought too. When I first chatted with Cary Walkin over at CaryWalkin.ca.
I recommended Cary’s VBA tutorial BLOG VBA4Play over on my Excel Help – Resources & Tutorials page, because I was blown away by the level of detail that was in the blog. You know, like step by step on how to create and maneuver through a graphical maze in excel. You know… cool stuff.
Anywhoo…
He mentioned that he also had released a game in Excel that kind of started the whole thing. So I downloaded it and tried it.
You know what?
Its pretty friggin’ cool.
Its not Call of Duty, and I am not PewDiePie (SUP’ BRO?).
But if you are a nerd for this stuff like me… then its gotta make you think… what did I accomplish in the few months that it took Cary to first put this together?
<oh yeah — I remember — nothin‘>
It’s a full RPG that playable within Excel. It features over 2,000 random enemies, 1,000 random items, and eight boss encounters. Arena also has four different endings depending on how players tackle the adventure.
So here is a non-technical view of the game. Below the video, there are more links on how you download it and navigate Cary’s Arena.Xlsm world.
So the first thing you are probably thinking is…
Dude… That was kinda cool. Free right? Where do I download?
The second thing you were probably thinking was…
DUDE… Don’t Player HATE… Player APPRECIATE… I Need A Pimp Name
For your enjoyment (mostly mine), I have PIMPIFIED a few guys (and ladies) that run some of the more frequented Excel Blogs…
- Chandoo @ Chandoo.org – Suede Sweetness *New Twitter Handle*
- Ken Pulls @ ExcelGuru.ca – Fine Ass K Smooth
- Bill Jelen @ Mr. Excel – Diamondtrim Bill Dazzle
- John Walkenbach @ The Spreadsheet Page – Master Pimp John Flex (a personal favorite)
- John Peltier @ Peltier Tech – Reverend Peltier Glide
- Debra Dalgleish @ Contextures,com – Big Playah D. Loco (I was wrong… this is my favorite)
- Rob Collie @ PowerPivotPro.com – Ghetto Fabulous Collie Valentine
Like Arena.XLSM?
So, did you like this? Did you download the game? Give it a whirl? Make the boss think you were working late when you were actually leveling up doing hand-to-hand combat with a Squirrel ? (pssssst… I know you did)
Then download the game. Leave a comment. Give a like. Tell a friend or somethin’.
Until next time…
Be A Champion.
Rick Grantham
- The Comprehensive Guide to the Excel Ribbon: Making the Most of Your Data - January 31, 2023
- 51: Oz du Soleil & the Global Excel Summit 2021 - February 8, 2021
- 50: Randy Austin – Excel for Freelancers - January 22, 2021
