When you say ‘video games’, the idea tends to pull from a small pool of stereotypes depending on the person hearing it, changing the image it conjures in most people’s heads. The layman tends to think video games are all like GTA or Call of Duty, or that they all star either Sonic or Mario and shouldn’t be played by anyone over the age of 12. It’s infuriating, but And Roger is the latest reminder of why I wish more people knew what video games can be.
Everyone Needs To Play And Roger
TearyHandAnd Roger is so much different from what most people think whenever they hear the term ‘video games’, it almost feels wrong to consider it part of the same medium. You are Sofia, a girl confused and struggling to discern what is reality and what isn’t. It’s a visual novel developed by TearyHand, where you have to guide Sofia as she tries to make sense of what’s going on around her through a mostly non-linear story.
I’m in a bit of a bind at this stage as my goal is to make you want to experience And Roger for yourselves, but at the same time, I don’t want to spoil it for you. I’ll attempt to walk a fine line between the two by telling you that And Roger tackles some deep and hard-hitting topics, including serious health conditions and how they impact not just those who have been diagnosed, but the friends and family around them.
TearyHandLike I said, And Roger is certainly not what comes to mind when people think of video games. In fact, it’s the latest in a long line of games I’ve played recently that have left me wishing there was a way to better explain what exactly the medium can be to the people in my life who don’t fully understand, and therefore don’t really care.
Explaining Video Games To Non-Gamers Feels Impossible
TearyHandWe all have those people in our lives. The people who try to feign an interest in your love of gaming, but you can see them glaze over whenever you try to tell them what you’re playing right now. It’s not their fault, nor are they trying to hurt your feelings. Society has just trained them to believe games are for kids, or that they’re an art form incapable of matching the impact left by a blockbuster movie or hard-hitting TV drama.
As I rolled credits on And Roger, wiping away tears - yes, this game is going to make you cry - my first thought was I need to tell my friends about this. This work of art, how it affected me, and how well it handled and portrayed such sensitive, real-life topics. In that same moment, I was reminded of all the other times I was overcome with that feeling, only to quickly accept that my non-gaming friends don’t really want to hear about it.
DogubombIt isn’t just games that tackle serious topics in the way And Roger does that have made me feel this way. Blue Prince was a big one last year. I, myself, didn’t know games could do what Blue Prince did. Essentially, an evolution of the puzzles you might find in the back of a newspaper. The sort millions of people the world over complete every day. There’s so much potential for Blue Prince to have a massive audience, but the people completing those puzzles have never even heard of it, let alone know what it is and understand why there’s every chance they might fall in love with it.
Thank Goodness You’re Here is another game that made me feel this way for different reasons again. Coal Supper somehow managed to distill the British comedy stylings that I grew up on into a video game. A type of comedy you can’t find in any modern-day medium, as TV and movies have left it behind. Uncles, aunts, parents, and even grandparents in my life would adore Thank Goodness You’re Here. Trying to explain to them that the brand of comedy they love, and assumed to be dead beyond going back and rewatching their old favorites, is alive and well in a new video game feels impossible.
It Takes Something Like The Last Of Us To Turn Heads
The only example in recent memory that has helped progress what some of the non-gamers in my life realize what video games are capable of is The Last of Us. Not the game, but the show. A lot of close friends loved the show, and when I told them it was, more or less, an exact retelling of the game, they were floored. Multiple people admitted to me that they didn’t realize games were capable of such impactful storytelling.
The trouble is, I’m not even sure how much The Last of Us really counts. It’s a triple-A game with an HBO adaptation, and even that only garnered surprised remarks. None of those in awe of its storytelling has even gone on to play The Last of Us after loving the show, let alone had their head turned enough by learning what games can do to play something like And Roger.
TearyHandThere are stigmas attached to video games that the industry still can't shake, no matter how much it has progressed. A belief that they can’t trigger emotions, or tell a story, or even be enjoyed as an art form by someone who isn’t a child. It’s odd because it’s something that doesn’t affect any other medium, at least not across the board like it does video games. It’s akin to assuming every single film is a Marvel movie, or believing that people age out of watching TV.
I will continue to try to make family, friends, and whoever else might understand not just what video games can be, but what they are. Right now, And Roger is the strongest example of how impactful and beautiful games can be and why more people should be playing them. It’s out now on Nintendo Switch, costs $4.99, and takes about an hour to play through in its entirety. That’s shorter than some TV show episodes, costs less than a cinema ticket, and I’m confident you’ll have a meaningful and memorable experience playing it. Perhaps even one that convinces you that video games can do so much more than what you were previously led to believe.
and Roger Like Follow Followed Visual Novel Romance Point-and-click Systems OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 91/100 Critics Rec: 95% Released July 23, 2025 ESRB Everyone / Mild Fantasy Violence Developer(s) Tearyhand Studio Publisher(s) Kodansha 5 Images CloseWHERE TO PLAY
DIGITAL
