On April 26, Reddit user TheRealDuke777 posted in the subreddit for Pragmata, developer Capcom's newly released sci-fi puzzle-shooter (which will likely end up on my personal GOTY list). He shared that he'd lost his 8-year-old daughter McKenzie to illness in 2009, and that she bore a striking resemblance, both physically and emotionally, to Pragmata co-star Diana, a childlike android girl who protagonist Hugh bonds with throughout the game. Within a week, his story was the all-time most popular post on the 6-year-old subreddit and had even reached Capcom itself, with the developer reacting on Twitter with hearts and sad faces.
Duke, now 55, who also goes by PeepawsGameRoom on the small YouTube and Twitch channels he started for fun in his semi-retirement, tells me he never thought his story would go so far. His family's history is crushing, but his experience with Pragmata is a genuinely sweet example of what games can mean to people, and has clearly resonated with countless players online.
