So I agreed that we would review TABS together. Turns out, he was already familiar with the game via his intense diet of YouTube gameplay videos. Long before I’d reached the end of my précis, he was bouncing off the walls yelling “TABS, TABS, TABS”. The strange thing is, they’re like silly ragdoll soldiers, but their goofy physics don’t matter because as the battle progresses, you really get into who’s gonna come out on top.” “And they are two opposing teams, and you let them loose against each other, and then you see who wins.

“It’s like an overhead view thing where you take a dozen archers and a knight and then you take a Viking berserker and five shieldmen,” I said. When it came to telling him about my current interest, Totally Accurate Battle Simulator, I couldn’t recall the game’s name, so I had to describe the general concept to him. He’s not mad into sweeping historical death sagas or heartfelt indie love stories. “I’m previewing a new game about aliens,” or “I’m reviewing a strategy game about samurai.” It’s a nice way for us to connect, although he views my game tastes as pretty dreary. My youngest son, a boisterous 8-year-old, will often ask me about the games I’m playing for work.