I’m not sure how I feel about this book.

It covers a wide span of human emotions: friendship, love, grief, trauma, creativity. It’s the story of two friends who make games together, and the worlds they create. There are constant comparisons between the mechanics of video games, and the mechanics of reality.

The book is crammed with thoughtful moments and observations, and I made a lot of notes that I imagine I’ll revisit. It’s a good piece of writing.

And yet it didn’t quite land with me; the book as a whole didn’t resonate. Perhaps it’s because I read the whole thing in a day, perhaps it’s because I’ve heard about how many other people loved it – it’s good, but it didn’t click.

I’m glad I read it, and it gave me a lot of new ideas, but it didn’t live up to the hype.

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