In video games, we step into other bodies so we can better understand our own and those of the people around us. In travel, as Andrew Soloman says, we go somewhere else to see properly the place where we have come from. More specifically, to use body therapy language, games offer us a chance to discover the inviolability of our bodies, personal autonomy, self-ownership, and self-determination. Whether this is into the awkward teenage years of Mord and Ben in Wide Ocean Big Jacket, the grandparent-escaping Tiger and Bee in Kissy Kissy, the fractured heartbroken body in Gris or the haphazard movement of Octodad we have a chance to reassess our own physicality and how we respond to and treat other people's physicality. Stepping into the shoes of a vulnerable, small or endangered character can help us understand for a short while some of what it is like to be someone else. This is not only an enjoyable way to escape the reality of daily life but a chance to reflect on and understand ourselves, and our bodies, better. Whether we step into the powerful frame of a trained marksman or brave adventurer, while we play we have a different sense of our physicality.

Video games offer an opportunity to inhabit another body. Whether you are a parent playing with a gaming expert son or daughter, or a partner of someone who plays less or more games, these are a great place to find common ground. Finally, there are single player games, like Detroit Become Human or Return of the Obra Dinn where one player can control things while the other makes suggestions. Some games like Tick Tock A Tale For Two or Get Together let you play on separate devices and talk to each other to solve collaborative puzzles. Then there are games, like Affordable Space Adventures or Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes where each player takes on a different role. Other games, like Kingdoms or Chariot let you work together to progress with enough time for one player to help the other. Some of these games, like Super Mario Odyssey or Spiritfarer, let one player help the other. This list is designed to help you find games to solve this. Finding a game to play with another person who has less (or more) expertise of playing can be a challenge. We all have a different level of experience, ability and connection to video games.

One hand clapping ps4