# Why games keep showing up in everything I build.

- Author: Brian Sztamfater
- URL: https://sztamfater.com/thoughts/games-keep-showing-up/
- Published: 2026-09-17
- Tags: games, design

I've noticed a strange pattern: no matter what I'm working on, something game-like sneaks in.

A progress bar that feels a little too satisfying. An animation that exists purely because it's fun. A tiny secret for the three people who'll find it.

> Games are the only software people use purely because they want to.

I think it's because games are honest about their job. Nobody *has* to play them, so they have to earn every second of attention. Everything else, from banking apps to settings screens, could learn something from that.

Anyway. There will probably be a game on this website at some point.