As digital devices increasingly capture the intricacies of everyday life, video games are emerging as a unique medium to explore the personal dramas and secrets contained within computers and smartphones. This growing trend reflects how deeply intertwined technology has become with identity, relationships, and storytelling.
Despite the centrality of digital life, contemporary culture has been slow to portray it in traditional media like films and television, which often find such narratives difficult to dramatize. In contrast, video games are proving well-suited to foreground the inner workings of devices through immersive gameplay that turns screens into stages and app interfaces into settings rich with narrative potential.
A notable example is the recently released game *Desktop Explorer*, which immerses players in the digital environment of a fictional character nicknamed Guppy. After inheriting an old PC from her uncle, players see only her computer screen, mimicking an operating system complete with movable menus, folders, and pixelated visuals. The game revolves around deciphering puzzles hidden in nested folders, revealing a troubling family story through corrupted files and ghostly images that appear as the game progresses. This approach creates a direct correlation between the player's actions and those of the character, deepening immersion by having players interact with the game world via simulated mouse clicks and file navigation.
Beyond computer screen simulations, streaming platform Netflix has integrated digital interface mechanics into gaming with *Unhinged*, a hybrid between gameplay and a 40-minute horror episode. Players control Ava, voiced by Zoë Kravitz, using their mobile phone both as a game controller and as the character’s phone. Features such as answering calls, reading texts, and toggling a flashlight operate through the phone’s interface, intensifying the experience. The game uses the phone’s physical vibration and screen touches to enhance suspense, notably during moments of high tension such as jump scares or gory scenes.
The use of digital interfaces is also prominent in other genres. Detective and deduction games, including Sam Barlow’s *Her Story*, *Telling Lies*, and *Immortality*, require players to sift through video clips and files, offering nonlinear storytelling that revolves around digital investigation. Meanwhile, nostalgic titles like *Hypnospace Outlaw* recreate the colorful, chaotic early internet of the late 1990s.
Relationship dramas, too, have found new life on device-based platforms. The *Emily Is Away* series unfolds through AOL Instant Messenger chat windows, exploring adolescent romance, while Nina Freeman’s *Cibele* tells a young woman’s story through poems, diary entries, and photos found on her desktop. Upcoming games such as *Limerence* are set to examine evolving romantic relationships with artificial intelligence chatbots directly through phone screens.
These developments highlight how daily technology use is more than just functional; it is a complex stage where people work, reflect, love, and leave traces of their multifaceted lives. As a result, games are increasingly addressing this digital dimension of human experience, offering players a distinctive way to engage with and reflect on their own interactions with technology.
*Desktop Explorer* is currently available on PC and Mac, while *Unhinged* is accessible via Netflix.