10 Video Games That Wanted The Player To Feel Terrible

Much like Papers, Please, Cart Life generates truth and empathy through the mundane, as players control one of three street vendors simply trying to make ends meet and take care of their families.

Whether selling bagels, newspapers, or coffee, each scenario forces the player into a routine of repetition, and while perhaps not as "high-stakes" as most video games, the intensely personal scope nevertheless makes it feel urgent in its relatable simplicity.

Better than perhaps any other video game in existence, Cart Life conveys just how soul-crushing and exhausting simply staying afloat can be.

For anyone who has ever felt overworked or underpaid, it's an experience both cathartic and entirely devastating, as is totally the point.

Cart Life may not be fun, but it captures a slice-of-life mood with an uncommon level of insight.