A scene from Baby Steps. Autobiographical stories and mystery games resonated in a chaotic year. — Devolver Digital via The New York Times
In its struggle to understand and make sense of life, art has a way of remaining relevant even when, in chaotic times as ours, it might feel more useful to march in the streets than plug into a video game’s digital distractions. Yet these worlds do contain value. Each of these games bears a specificity that draws from contexts both present and past, showing us novel ways of looking at both.
Coming-of-age narratives showed up in a big way this year, exploring the messy moment of a new world’s birth. Other games use the potent tool of nostalgia to provide a brief respite. And mystery games have had a mighty resurgence, with several detective stories having their protagonists put an opaque and incomprehensible narrative back together in a way that makes sense.
