Video games have a way of tying things together in ways that acknowledge the feelings and emotions that are being processed neurologically. Meanwhile, in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, folks have been creating memorials for loved ones and even using virtual spaces to protest and honor Black people killed by police. During the early days of the pandemic, players in the MMORPG Final Fantasy Online conducted in-game funeral services for players who had recently died. While several indie games like Spiritfarer and Death and Taxes have embraced story lines connected to death, major publishers are also joining the conversation. Some gamers also use indie titles Gris, Ori and the Will of Wisps, and Stardew Valley as places to explore and process their grief. This includes the ones above, such as Death and Taxes-where you choose who lives and dies-as well as others like Graveyard Keeper, where folks literally have to manage a cemetery. A quick search on the Nintendo Switch Online store with the word death will net you several titles. Indie titles frequently approach gameplay elements around the delicate space of grief. For example, the indie title Spiritfarer-a game in which players assist a cast of in-game characters in finishing tasks they didn’t complete before they died-was nominated for a Games for Impact Award at the annual Game Awards show last year for being “a thought-provoking game with pro-social meaning or message.” On the opposite side, fellow indie game Hades-a dungeon crawler where players battle their way through hell-was also nominated for multiple Game Awards last year, and it won two, for Best Indie and Best Action Game. Games with death-oriented gameplay have earned praise for building a connection to this delicate issue.