The day has finally come when I can brag about having a PlayStation 4 over an Xbox One, and that is because No Man’s Sky (PS4 exclusive!) has been released. No Man’s Sky is an action-adventure survival game that involves deep space exploration, developed by Hello Games and released on August 9th, 2016. Although I wasn’t super interested in this game initially, I have come to love the game after copious amounts of play time this week. Basically the whole plot of the game (according to the developers) is to find the center of the massive universe with the help of some supernatural being. But besides finding the center of the universe, there is plenty to do inside the expansive world of No Man’s Sky. Here is a list of the top six reasons why I think everyone, including people who are typically non-gamers, should play No Man’s Sky.

1. The gameplay music is super calming.

Even though the game takes a tremendous amount of patience, once you get into your groove you find yourself lulled into a trance, which makes it way harder to ever put the controller down. The overall aesthetic of the game is amazing, but the gentle ambient sounds in the background make it that much more enjoyable. I find that playing No Man’s Sky is a form of therapeutic relief for myself, and I think that others could find a source of zen in it as well. (Here is the soundtrack).

2. You get to leave your mark.

The whole point of this game is discovery. You get to traverse "No Man’s Sky," which is basically saying that no other human person has ever stepped foot onto most of the planets and galaxies you will discover. In my hours and hours of gameplay and some 35 planets later, I have only discovered one planet that had been discovered by another player in the PlayStation online universe. As you find locations on the planet you can also use your visor to scan and identify plants, animals, and other valuable pieces of information. Lastly, you get to rename whatever you want, from the galaxy to the planet to the small plant that you found upon leaving your starcraft.

3. Epic space battles.

One cannot help but think of Star Wars and other similar outer space lore when playing No Man’s Sky. One of my favorite things to do in the game is to engage in space battles with random ships. The bad thing is that sometimes you will be at the mercy of space pirates, who will come target your ship and try to kill you. Some of these battles have lasted two minutes, while other range up to 15 minutes. Nevertheless, the space travel is very fun in No Man’s Sky.

4. The game never ends.

The rule of thumb for No Man’s Sky is that if you can see it then you can travel to it and explore it. What makes No Man’s Sky special is that it is computer generated, which means that new worlds are constantly being constructed and maintained. It is literally impossible to travel to every single planet in No Man’s Sky, and that is why it has such a massive appeal to so many gamers. My favorite moments in the game are when you first see the galaxy you have traveled to, and you approach all the different planets you can visit. The galaxies will never look the same due to their chemical configuration, which renders some pink, purple, red, or blue.

5. You get to learn about extraterrestrial civilizations.

Finding the center of the universe is a hard feat, but your alien allies can help you significantly on the way. Along with mining for minerals and finding upgrades to your equipment, you can also learn about alien civilizations. The Gek, Vykeen, and Korvak alien races are all unique in their own nature and even have different languages. As you travel around individual planets, you will notice these solid cylindrical structures called Monoliths, which contain a definition of an alien word. Though in the beginning you will just see gibberish when you attempt to communicate with aliens, as you continue to find these words you can actually learn to understand what aliens are saying to you.

6. The goal is to find the center of the universe.

This goal may seem simple, but there are so many variables to finding this center that it is anything but simple. You will need to travel hundreds of thousands of light-years just to make a dent, but this is all possible thanks to your Hyperdrive.

There you have it, six reasons why you should stop whatever it is that you are doing right now and go play No Man’s Sky. This game has transformed how open world games function, and hopefully the future updates will bring a functional multiplayer platform that will effectively crown No Man’s Sky as the best game of 2016.