There are many, many, many reasons people play video games. It can be for comfort, for nostalgia, for new experiences, for entertainment, for distraction, even to learn a thing or two. I play for the friends I make along the way. That might be a meme, but it's not a joke. Sure, gaming provides all those other benefits, but sometimes, oftentimes, it's falling for the characters that keeps me booting up for more.

Assassin's Creed: Odyssey is not nearly as romantic as I'd been led to believe. Her name is Odessa, and, a few hours into Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, she's the first person in the entire world I can flirt with. A descendant of Odysseus, supposedly, she's on the island of Ithaca to visit his ruined palace, hoping to find clarity and meaning. Instead, she finds me, Kassandra, a mercenary with a pet eagle. The game tells me I can call her pretty.