David Silbert

A few weeks ago, I logged on to Spotify just like I do any other morning. I queued up my music for the day — titled, blandly, “Work Playlist” — and got to writing and editing documents. As with any effective work playlist, mine is filled with a mix of soothing and stirring instrumentals from across movies and games. From A Short Hike to Shawshank Redemption, my playlist is 4,000 tracks strong and counting, and it’s helped me navigate even the most stressful or mundane days.

It’s NFL Draft day, and if you play Fantasy Football, you know the stakes. Tonight, teams will draft the prospects they believe will be cornerstones not just in 2026, but years into the future. Stars like Heisman-winner Fernando Mendoza and unanimous All-American Jeremiyah Love will dominate the early rounds, while late-draft sleeper picks will round out rosters and determine which teams get an edge in the seasons to come. Our Fantasy Gaming league is built of that same spirit.

When Kena: Bridge of Spirits released in 2021 for PC and PlayStation consoles, it was quite the artistic marvel. Developed by Ember Lab, a California-based studio with roots in CG film animation, Bridge of Spirits was part of a handful of early PS5 titles that teased the power of Sony’s then-nascent hardware. Among contemporaries like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and It Takes Two, Kena showed that games could rival Disney in terms of cinematic magic.