Everything

You Should Play Everything

In the simulation game Everything, you can embody anyone or anything you like—from the smallest dust particle to an entire planet—while listening to the lectures from philosopher Alan Watts about the meaning of consciousness. You move on from one living being to the next, taking control of them as you wander through landscapes after landscapes, worlds after worlds. Or you can simply watch these creatures and objects exist and thrive from the position of an omnipotent being. It’s deeply cerebral, but it’s also oddly emotional.

To an extent, I do not immediately buy Everything’s message: that despite the vast distances between us, we are all interconnected in some way, right down to the molecular level. It verges on being a painfully cheesy screed. But Everything’s unconventional, anti-game universe makes this suggestion plausible, in the way that it lets you wander through worlds while simultaneously adopting the presence of other beings. 

Everything is so convincing, because it is what most games aren’t: devoid of any specific objectives to fulfill, has no overarching goals to complete, and no heroes’ journey to embark on. You set your own direction and purpose in this game, responding only to your whims and intuition. It is this unbridled freedom that, in turn, proposes that like the millions of objects and beings in this universe, you are also a part of a force that’s much bigger and unfathomable. It’s a tempting, beautiful and bold proposition that I wish to believe in.

You may enjoy the meditative nature of Everything. You may get nothing out of it too. But do try it, for the brief moment that may make you marvel at its wonder.

You can find Everything—and truly, most other games—on Steam.