If I may be so presumptuous (AND pretentious) I'd like very much to suggest a game that I feel has the power to change how video games are perceived. (I'm 62, and have been playing PC games almost as long as they have existed. And I love Bioshock. Yet THIS game changed me.)
Beeswing, by the great Jack Spooner-King. It tells the story of a Scottish man who returns to his childhood hometown. It uses both the adult character and the young one to tell the story of this return, and it is the only game in my 1,500+ game library to cause me to yell out in emotional reaction. The art is uncommonly interesting, and the music is among the best music I've ever heard in any video game. (This is most assuredly NOT a game like "A Night In the Woods", but it does reach out to see if each player has the ability to respond emotionally.)
Not widely received, though perhaps it should have been. When it came out on Steam I spent about $100 giving copies to friends, but I am not connected to the game or developer in any way (beyond emotionally.)
Good article. Thank you for writing it. (I get attached.)
