⭐⭐⭐
By its own definition, The Games We Play is "a quick and silly horny idea" and it does that well. Thing is, it also claims to be "something more," which I don't quite see. It's true enough that a well-structured character arc carries this playful, erotic plot, I don't feel it does much beyond only being the latter. There are scenes that hint at a more interesting exploration of age gap relationships and performative masculinity/heterosexuality, however these are tiny atolls in a sea of sex comedy plot beats. The way I see it this strong contrast ends up taking the wind out of any particularly unique thematic examination. Aside from that, I found the writing often poor and overreliant on emotion-tells. By constantly telling how Ezra is feeling, this VN curbs the emotional impact of its scenes and the potential for player resonance and makes for a tedious reading experience. Even so, this project is competent enough that pacing suffers no great issues. When it comes to presentation, the same level of skill is displayed through mindful blocking, animation, and transitions. Maybe it's fine for The Games We Play to be so simplistic and horny, but I wanted something more to chew on or a tighter erotic package, not something stuck in-between.