In the recently released game Tiny Bookshop you are invited to “leave everything behind and open a tiny bookshop by the sea”. Tiny Bookshop has been described as an ambient narrative management game, which has a cosy and calming feel.

From Zoo Tycoon to SimCity and now Tiny Bookshop, computer games have made work feel like play. But the recent explosion of “cosy work simulators” reveals something profound about modern labour and why we’re seeking meaning in the most unexpected places.

Critics and fans have loved Tiny Bookshop, where players spend hours organising shelves, recommending novels and chatting with customers. Meanwhile, 15 million people have bought Euro Truck Simulator 2 to drive virtual trucks on digital motorways. Stardew Valley has sold over 20 million copies, letting players escape to virtual farms where they grow turnips and milk cows.

This isn’t just escapism. It’s something philosophers have been trying to explain for decades.

Research has shown that video games are as powerful as morphine. Other researchers have commented that gamification of work is pacifying workers who should be demanding better conditions. There’s truth here. It’s easier to download Tiny Bookshop than to quit your corporate job and start a real shop.

The romanticisation of small businesses also ignores that bookshop owners often earn little and have no benefits. You can quit playing a game and return to it when you feel like it. That’s not so easy with real jobs.