Whether it’s succumbing to grief and seeking revenge for a loved one, reclaiming your humanity in a journey to spread your wife’s ashes with your son, or discovering what it means to be human as artificial intelligence, video games can produce authentic and powerful emotions through stories we would otherwise be unable to live. 

Somewhere along the line, we were sold the idea that romantic love is the ultimate prize and that being single is some kind of failure. We’ve been conditioned to think that if you're not in a relationship, you're somehow incomplete. But, here’s the truth — romantic love is just one kind of love. It’s not the centerpiece of life unless you make it that way. Honestly, that’s a pretty fragile foundation to build your happiness on.

As the semester comes to a close, our schedules become busier and our days grow longer. Down time becomes scarce, and we find ourselves yearning for any morsel of relaxation we can get. In so many words,...