Summary

In “Playing Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain,” Mirwais collects the money he needs “to preorder the game” Metal Gear (1). He tries to dispel his guilt. On “the day it’s released,” he bikes to the store to get the game (2). When he returns, his father “is ankle-deep in the dirt,” looking the way he “used to as a farmer in Logar” (3). He asks Mirwais where he has been, insisting they talk once he finishes studying. The way his father “runs his hands through his hair” makes Mirwais think it is about something serious (5).

In his room, Mirwais turns up his music so no one will bother him. He starts playing the game. The game’s final setting is 1980s Afghanistan, which made Mirwais desperate to play. In the game, he wants to “get...