Dealing with the world is just a thing sometimes. When everything is just such a thing, it seems wrong to expect too much of anyone. It's like how Shirley Temple could only be Shirley Temple because of the Great Depression: that saccharine sweetness only was palatable because everything else was so sour for so many people. Escapism works.
I don't really advocate for escapism. As someone with heaps of relative privilege, I feel like I should do my best to exert emotional energy on behalf of my friends & loved ones whenever possible. For that reason, games that offer a short wade into Mindlessness come as welcome little presents. They're little oases of quiet before trekking back out into the bight light of the 24-hour news cycle.
If you need something short, absurd, and utterly without consequences, I recommend HOT DATE, a speed dating simulator where your potential paramours are pugs.
They don't act especially pug-like. There aren't dog-based puns. You just ask them some questions, they scoff at you or tell you their favorite starter Pokemon, and then they're replaced by another identical-looking pug.
It shouldn't be as relaxing as it is. But I can say this: when asked what my name was, I entered in "Mr. Tootsday," and dang it if it didn't make me laugh every. time.
Sometimes you just need a fluff piece.
