It’s the year 2002, and I’ve just disengaged my legs from the school bus seat. I rush through the front door and ascend the stairs with all my might, using every limb. I then speed into the computer room. I press the power button, listen for the static hum, and when that familiar blue sky and open field appear on the screen, my treasure trove of computer game icons beckons me in.

Fast forward to 2024. Settling down to play PC games is not quite as romantic as it once was. For starters, there is no dedicated computer room anymore. It’s all computers everywhere all the time now, which would have been a dream come true for my younger self in 2002. I’m also no longer a seven-year-old kid. I spend my day working at the same computer that transforms into my gaming haven in the evenings. But one thing remains the same as back then: When it’s time to game, I close all my other programs and peruse that delightful array of colorful shortcuts on my desktop.

There’s really no need for desktop icons these days. I rely on search to find everything I need on all my devices, and Steam’s library is a convenient place to launch games from. But it just doesn’t feel as enjoyable. I long to look at my beautiful collection of games neatly lined up and organized. I want to try to figure out the significance behind the designs of the icons, the choices made by the designers. That sweet, nostalgic double-click and I’m instantly transported to Baldur’s Gate or Arranger or The Sims 4. And it’s a wonderful reminder that we don’t have to keep those cumbersome CD-ROMs nearby anymore to play certain games.

I think there’s something more profound to all of this. The reality is that game platforms are constantly trying to entice you with new games and DLC. I sometimes browse my Steam discovery queue or check out what others are saying on forums. But when I’m truly ready to play, my gaming time can get easily consumed by the distractions of the outside world, such as big sales, game updates, and other alluring titles that catch my eye.

Using marketplaces like Itch.io, which offers almost exclusively DRM-free games, and GOG, which is entirely without digital rights management, makes it easier to separate the act of gaming from the commercial aspects. When you truly own your games, you typically don’t have to deal with intrusive advertisements before you start playing the game – or, at the very least, you’re less likely to be bombarded with ads that encourage you to download other games. My desktop shortcuts allow me to remove these distractions, because both the publishers and the studios, as well as fellow gamers like me, have a vested interest in ensuring that you can fully immerse yourself in the game you desire, when you desire it.

Launching games directly from the desktop makes me feel as if my games are the escape I long for, free from the ironically banal allure of “more”, “newer”, “better”. So, if you find yourself spending the first 10 minutes of your gaming session scrolling through your platform’s marketplace, give those old desktop shortcuts another try and let’s reminisce together about the simplicity of those CD-ROM days.