Southwest Philosophy Review 42 (1):187-194. 2026Albert Borgmann’s “device paradigm” raises concerns over the advancement of technology and our relationship towards the commodities technology provides. This essay contends that the solution to this problem can be found in games. Games force us to take on inefficient means for the sake of some end, just as “focal things” require users to take on burdens for the production of a commodity. The analogous structure between means and ends provides the basis for this argument, in which the 1996 release of Pokémon on the Game Boy can serve as an ideal case of how games can alleviate the concerns raised by the device paradigm. ( direct link )