Clickolding (PC)

Everything one needs to know about this experience can be learned by watching a YouTube playthrough with a runtime less than that of a single episode of television. That said, watching a video rather than engaging misses the point (or, rather, maybe is the point?) and the game is still worth playing through once and watching reactions later. Even knowing the story beats, the lack of jump-scares, the ending, I was totally unsettled the entire forty minutes. Yes, you literally click a button 10,000 times (or let the space bar handle some of the workload), but there are enough other things around the room with which to interact at scripted intervals that the game doesn’t feel tedious or annoying. I can understanding someone getting tired of the gag, and it probably could not have lasted much longer than it did, but this was the right length for what it was trying to accomplish. There is also a bit of an epilogue which, while optional, I found integral to the storytelling as a whole.

Despelote (PC)

Even being ambivalent to soccer, the inescapable passion for the World Cup caught up to me as well, though not to the actual field of play. A short experience—I played through in two sittings—this was story-based game from last year about the daily life of a young person in Ecuador following their national team in its quest for World Cup qualification. Of course, the story did not hit as hard for me, nor should it have, but I appreciated the personal nature all the same. The art style was fantastic, almost as if there was a sepia newsprint filter over realistic environments, while people, the soccer ball, and other important interactive objects were stark black-and-white. (Although quite a different tone, it was vaguely reminiscent of Tom Goes to the Mayor.) Near the end of the game, there was a moment when the scene suddenly shifted to walking around in color. At first, I thought my textures were not loading properly, but the narrator soon explained I was walking around a 3D rendered Google Maps equivalent of the area. As someone who frequently pulls up Street View of favorite places when I need a pick-me-up, this was stunningly poignant.

The Undoing Project – Michael Lewis

I got this from a recommended reading list about the evaluative qualities of humans, pretty standard fare for Michael Lewis. This was more biographical than statistics piece, but Lewis still accomplished his usual goal of reducing academic theories to the understanding of a layperson. As a biography, it was not my favorite book of his. I often get the impression Lewis is too close to his subjects when he profiles them, and this was evident by constantly calling one of the authors by the familiar name, “Danny,” which became an unfortunate personal pet peeve. I was interested in the concepts presented, but not really sold on the background of the writers: their lives, partnership, conflict, reconciliation. I did find their differences in character to be insightful, but ultimately, I would have wanted a deeper dive on the writing itself rather than personal histories. For this reason, I think, it did inspire me to go directly to the source material and pick up Daniel Kahneman’s book, which I had been meaning to get to for some time.

WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA - Slayyyter

In trying to do some mid-year evaluation on the music I’ve missed, this is one appeared on numerous lists. Fully acknowledging I’m not the target audience for this, but wow, is it exciting to my old, white, straight, male ears. That said? It was excellent. Despite the oxymoron, this is intensely abrasive in the best possible way. My first thought was that it could probably a big deal in dance clubs, but I don’t think that’s what the artist is going for. Then, the near-immediate swerve into glitch pop reminded me of Sleigh Bells, which gave me a similar sense of excitement the first time I heard them. The genre bending only continued from there, settling broadly into electronic pop. I felt uncomfortably old listening to it, sure, but it was undeniably captivating. I will be listening to this one again.

To Clutch a Razor – Veronica Roth

This is the second novella in a series, actually, although I found it leagues better than the first and worth reading even as a standalone story. The romance angle felt natural, where it seemed forced in the first book. The Polish connection drew me in, of course, but the characters and their emotional interweaving kept me engaged. The family drama was more compelling in this one, and the intrigue of multiple, conflicting interactions was complex but also tight. Centering the action on one house, with all of the family and surround characters convening for a funeral was a fantastic touch.