A Book Club for Games, to Combat Loneliness [video]
Mood
thoughtful
Sentiment
positive
Category
culture
Key topics
gaming
community building
social isolation
A new initiative, The Game Club, sends users a free indie game every month along with discussion prompts to combat loneliness, sparking interest in lesser-known games.
Snapshot generated from the HN discussion
Discussion Activity
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- 01Story posted
11/18/2025, 12:36:11 AM
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11/18/2025, 12:36:11 AM
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11/18/2025, 12:36:11 AM
21h ago
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The games will be lesser known indie gems on Steam, which the curators believe didn't get proper time in the limelight and deserved more attention. They're aiming for 8-10 hour experiences but will play with the format, including some multiplayer occasionally, and leaning towards games that foster good discussion for the meet-ups.
What it's really about, though, is making friends. Blomberg and Leighton hope to use shared passions and experiences to build friendships and go some small way towards slowing the rise of loneliness in modern society.
It's clear Shay P Leighton has done his research on combating the "friendship recession," and his last book club project, the Tough Guy Book Club, is already a success. He makes some great points in the episode about the removal of civic life, and how we've replaced our missing institutions with... nothing.
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