The Small Stuff: The Sensory Enchantment of Everyday Life

by Ian Bogost

In an era dominated by convenience and efficiency, you’d think life would be simpler, easier and, most importantly, happier. After all, shouldn’t all the time saved with technology leave us with more time for ourselves? The Atlantic columnist, game-designer and academic Ian Bogost thinks not. From QR code menus and digital tickets to automated self-checkout counters, he argues that the simple pleasures of daily life have been stripped away, replaced by sleek, but soulless, design.

Through engaging anecdotes and sharp analysis, Bogost uncovers how modern conveniences not only fail to deliver on their promises but also rob us of small, satisfying tasks and moments that keep us grounded and human. By reframing how we approach ordinary interactions, Bogost shows us how we can transform our view of the material world, from merely utilitarian into a site of joy and gratification.

Humorous, thought-provoking, and practical, The Small Stuff is a manifesto for reuniting and re-enchanting us with the world we inhabit, by observing and enjoying the small moments that make up our lives.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication July 7, 2026

About the author

Ian Bogost is a video game designer, critic and researcher. He holds a joint professorship in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication and in Interactive Computing in the College of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he is the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts Distinguished Chair in Media Studies.

He is the author of Unit Operations: An Approach to Videogame Criticism and Persuasive Games: The Expressive Power of Videogames as well as the co-author of Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System and Newsgames: Journalism at Play. Bogost also released Cow Clicker, a satire and critique of the influx of social network games. His game, A Slow Year, won two awards, Vanguard and Virtuoso, at IndieCade 2010.