Carro asked Andrea K. Höst:

I've been very interested by your loving depiction of online multi-player games. I encountered (bounced off) computer games in my teens when someone insisted I have a go at this thing where a squat warrior had to run down a tunnel. The ones you describe in your books, with beautiful world building, and being able to wander and explore sound gorgeous. Are there ones like that in reality today?

Andrea K. Höst I hope I get to see full virtual gaming, which is what I've mainly described in my books. Currently, while there is virtual reality gaming, there's not a lot of games that work well in the setup (unless you like being scared, since it seems great for horror setups).

For MMOs, the real standout at the moment is Final Fantasy XIV, which has a deep storyline and is very pretty (graphics improve with each expansion, as it's been running ten years). There's a ton to do in it, so it might be a bit overwhelming for a non-gamer. Still, you can play a large amount of it for free, so it's worth trying out to see how you go.

For someone who hasn't gamed before, I'd recommend:

- Portal and Portal 2. Fun physics puzzle game with tons of personality.
- Uncharted (the Definitive Collection to start out with - it's coming to pc soon, so you don't need a console).
- Journey (you'll need a PlayStation for that one).
- House Flippers (surprisingly fun to clean up and restore houses online - and a lot less effort than doing it in real life).
- My Time at Portia
- Stardew Valley (both this and Portia have similar 'daily life' setups revolving around owning a farmhouse).
- What Remains of Edith Finch (innovative interactive puzzler)

You can get most of these games through a console, Steam, or alternatively Epic games store.

Currently, I've been playing picross games, Genshin Impact (only go into it if you have good impulse control because it's geared to make you spend money), and, amusingly enough, online jigsaw puzzles at https://jigsawpuzzles.io/

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