Sign up to receive each week’s Playlist e-mail here!

Also check out our full, interactive Playlist section.

Trawl (PC, Mac, Linux) 

BY House of Wire

Environments affect creativity. And while the internet might help us collaborate on a more global scale, some see the digital age as the antithesis of a creative atmosphere. With a constantly connected world only a click away at all times, it can be hard to find the moments of solitary introspection needed to create. Atmospheric game Trawl feels like a vacation from the sound of text messages and Facebook notifications. You are an explorer in the middle of the ocean during a storm, manning your vessel searching for treasures. Only these aren’t your typical video game artifacts or collectibles. Trawl encourages you to rediscover the ordinary, uncovering broken tea cups and rusty tools and asking you to tell their story. Complete with a typewriter simulator, Trawl is a return to an antiquated world where nothing can distract you from diving into your own thoughts and inspirations

Perfect for: Ernest Hemingway, literary buffs

Playtime: As long as the eye can see