Alex didn’t run. He was tired of running from the sound of his parents’ arguing. He grabbed the controller – now warm, almost pulsing – and stepped through the screen.

The last room was his living room. Christmas morning, three years ago. Before the fighting. His brother was five, laughing, unwrapping a toy rocket. His parents were holding hands. The objective: Stay.

He pressed it. Nothing happened. A pop-up appeared: “You cannot undo. You can only move forward. Press X to accept.”

His house’s kitchen was intact, but floating in zero-G. Cereal boxes orbited the fridge. A Zorgon scout ship – all teeth and tentacles – had burrowed into the microwave. The objective appeared: Defeat Zorgon Chef. Retrieve Frozen Pizza Crystal.