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Free to Play: A Video Games Anthology
Literature as a game. Gaming as literature. How are writers and artists interacting with video games, gaming, and notions of play?
Spanning fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, comics, and multimedia works from an international array of emerging and established voices, Free to Play: A Video Games Anthology is both a love letter to, and a bold exploration of what video games and gaming culture are and can be.
Contents
No Man is an Island – Ellie Black
The Short, Sweet Life of Commander Brian – Gabriela Lee
Side-Scroller – Ken Liu
The Last Bonfire – Myle Yan Tay & Natalie M. E. Tan
All The Times I Was Dragonborn – Nuraliah Norasid
Less Than Three Stars – Jack Xi
All the Skin(s) You Left Behind – Sarah Mak & Nic Chan
Press “Y” to Reboot – Noor Tannir
He Is You, She’s For You – Hana Luisa Binte Yaacob
Dawn of Clarendera – Meihan Boey
memory leak – Zhen
A Seat at Venba’s Table – Varsha Sivaram
God of War – Maya Escobar
Boys and Girls Across Dead Worlds – Alex K. Masse
Don’t Start Without Me – Kenneth Lam
The Writer as Gamer – Alvin Pang
It’s Dangerous to Go Alone – Anthony Falleroni
snake on a train – judith huang
Your Inventory is Filling Up Again – Wen-yi Lee
Shadow Stone – Erica Eng
Fast Travel – Adriana X. Jacobs
Spanning fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, comics, and multimedia works from an international array of emerging and established voices, Free to Play: A Video Games Anthology is both a love letter to, and a bold exploration of what video games and gaming culture are and can be.
Contents
No Man is an Island – Ellie Black
The Short, Sweet Life of Commander Brian – Gabriela Lee
Side-Scroller – Ken Liu
The Last Bonfire – Myle Yan Tay & Natalie M. E. Tan
All The Times I Was Dragonborn – Nuraliah Norasid
Less Than Three Stars – Jack Xi
All the Skin(s) You Left Behind – Sarah Mak & Nic Chan
Press “Y” to Reboot – Noor Tannir
He Is You, She’s For You – Hana Luisa Binte Yaacob
Dawn of Clarendera – Meihan Boey
memory leak – Zhen
A Seat at Venba’s Table – Varsha Sivaram
God of War – Maya Escobar
Boys and Girls Across Dead Worlds – Alex K. Masse
Don’t Start Without Me – Kenneth Lam
The Writer as Gamer – Alvin Pang
It’s Dangerous to Go Alone – Anthony Falleroni
snake on a train – judith huang
Your Inventory is Filling Up Again – Wen-yi Lee
Shadow Stone – Erica Eng
Fast Travel – Adriana X. Jacobs
224 pages, Paperback
First published May 15, 2026
About the author
Adan Jimenez
33 books28 followersBorn in the San Joaquin Valley in California to Mexican immigrant parents, Adan Jimenez became an immigrant himself when he moved to Singapore after completing his studies at New York University. He has worked for comic book stores, book stores, and gaming stores. And a hoagie sandwich shop once. He loves comics, LEGOs, books, games (analog and video), Doctor Who, sandwiches, and his wife, Felicia. Not necessarily in that order, though.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 10, 2026
Free to Play - 4⭐️
A very nostalgic read of games that we grew up playing / still playing that’s packed under 220ish pages
I loved how this book segmented into various games unlocked some core memories for me 🥹
Great visuals and greater stories all packed in games ❤️
Also I didn’t know there’s also a story from Ken Liu featured in this as well 👾👾👾
A very nostalgic read of games that we grew up playing / still playing that’s packed under 220ish pages
I loved how this book segmented into various games unlocked some core memories for me 🥹
Great visuals and greater stories all packed in games ❤️
Also I didn’t know there’s also a story from Ken Liu featured in this as well 👾👾👾
June 7, 2026
"Our world has more to offer when we are not shackled to the roles we are born to play."
🎮 Free to Play: A Video Games Anthology is a collection of short stories, essays, poems, and comics that explores gaming and the impact it has on our lives. Through diverse creators and perspectives, the anthology explores themes such as memory, identity, friendship, grief, community, and the connections we build through games. 🎮✨
Never have I ever read something that makes it so interactive, gives me nostalgic vibes and gives an explosion to my brain, how something we grew up playing and some of them still playing plays a big part in our lives for reasons. We all grew up playing games, be it on computers, board games, online, consoles, and so much more. When we were kids, we played these games for fun with our friends, pausing our studies to de-stress; as adults, we play them with our friends, sometimes by ourselves, to escape the stress of work and life. Still the same, but just at a different level
Reading Free to Play gives me nostalgic vibes from the games I played, and each writer's story offers their own perspective on what brings them joy, the hurdles they faced in life, and the memories they cling to when playing certain games. It’s a mixture of comics, poems, essays and interactive media that gets you engaged and wanting more.
What a phenomenal job by all the contributors of Free to Play: A Video Games Anthology. Thank you for reminding us of the joy of games; no matter how old we are or where we are, we seek them out because they bring us a little joy and a sense of connection.
Thank you, Difference Engine SG, for sending me this copy. Everyone, get your copy now!!
🎮 Free to Play: A Video Games Anthology is a collection of short stories, essays, poems, and comics that explores gaming and the impact it has on our lives. Through diverse creators and perspectives, the anthology explores themes such as memory, identity, friendship, grief, community, and the connections we build through games. 🎮✨
Never have I ever read something that makes it so interactive, gives me nostalgic vibes and gives an explosion to my brain, how something we grew up playing and some of them still playing plays a big part in our lives for reasons. We all grew up playing games, be it on computers, board games, online, consoles, and so much more. When we were kids, we played these games for fun with our friends, pausing our studies to de-stress; as adults, we play them with our friends, sometimes by ourselves, to escape the stress of work and life. Still the same, but just at a different level
Reading Free to Play gives me nostalgic vibes from the games I played, and each writer's story offers their own perspective on what brings them joy, the hurdles they faced in life, and the memories they cling to when playing certain games. It’s a mixture of comics, poems, essays and interactive media that gets you engaged and wanting more.
What a phenomenal job by all the contributors of Free to Play: A Video Games Anthology. Thank you for reminding us of the joy of games; no matter how old we are or where we are, we seek them out because they bring us a little joy and a sense of connection.
Thank you, Difference Engine SG, for sending me this copy. Everyone, get your copy now!!
June 10, 2026
I was asked a few times so saying this right on top: you can order directly from the Difference Engine website!
Any anthology is a mixed bag but I found myself enjoying everything here, most especially the nonfiction pieces. They were the perfect balance between personal (almost confessional) essays and scholarly analysis—of video games! Gameplay, world-building, dialogue, yes, but beyond that, the fandom ecosystems that grew organically inside and outside the games, and perhaps more significantly, how the process of playing a game shaped the writer during their formative years, particularly if they were different.
Why do we feel so strongly about some games but not others? To rework the question, what is it about games that capture us? Keyword is capture; I don't know about you but I can easily lose weeks playing a game. I find endlessly interesting the idea that the unknowable self can be made a little less unknowable through playing a game, which suggests that games at their core are small mirrors that reveal what is usually hidden and untested (and unhealed?) within the player, what choices make up our person.
Needless to say, this anthology is very, very nostalgic (for anyone above the age of 25, probably). I was mad about Maplestory back when I should have focused on exams and until now I still remember grinding for days to reach Bishop class and the thrill of clearing an entire map with Genesis + Big Bang. I remember restarting the old blocky PC when the game wouldn't boot up after installing a new patch, and toggling between the game and MSN to voice call during a party quest. None of that time spent was a waste.
Thank you Difference Engine for the copy! All opinions are my own. 👾🎮🍁
Any anthology is a mixed bag but I found myself enjoying everything here, most especially the nonfiction pieces. They were the perfect balance between personal (almost confessional) essays and scholarly analysis—of video games! Gameplay, world-building, dialogue, yes, but beyond that, the fandom ecosystems that grew organically inside and outside the games, and perhaps more significantly, how the process of playing a game shaped the writer during their formative years, particularly if they were different.
Why do we feel so strongly about some games but not others? To rework the question, what is it about games that capture us? Keyword is capture; I don't know about you but I can easily lose weeks playing a game. I find endlessly interesting the idea that the unknowable self can be made a little less unknowable through playing a game, which suggests that games at their core are small mirrors that reveal what is usually hidden and untested (and unhealed?) within the player, what choices make up our person.
Needless to say, this anthology is very, very nostalgic (for anyone above the age of 25, probably). I was mad about Maplestory back when I should have focused on exams and until now I still remember grinding for days to reach Bishop class and the thrill of clearing an entire map with Genesis + Big Bang. I remember restarting the old blocky PC when the game wouldn't boot up after installing a new patch, and toggling between the game and MSN to voice call during a party quest. None of that time spent was a waste.
Thank you Difference Engine for the copy! All opinions are my own. 👾🎮🍁
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews