I want to walk them all. Well, some of them.

The Game Devs of Color Expo- an inclusive celebration and showcase of the work of developers from a broad spectrum of backgrounds -took place this weekend. As well as talks from different developers, GDoCE put onGradient Convergence, showcasing a collection of cool games on Steam.

It got me thinking. Airports are bizarre ecosystems where everyone’s only reason for being there is to escape, but this one, I am reluctant to leave. Even though my purpose is to find my fiancé out there in the galactic beyond, she is now the second, or in factleastmost important thing in my life. The dogs are what’s important. They are trying their hardest to run things smoothly, and sure, it is total, utter chaos, but it’s adorable. Sometimes unnerving, but mostly adorable.

I’d like to introduce you to a few of the best dogs. I was going to ask if that was okay, but you don’t get a choice. Trust me, it’s very important.

Gorby, a black labrador, has just gifted the player an ‘actual gun’. The player has responded with fear and surprise.

In a shop filled with cabinets, Cabinet Dog stares the player down while licking its lips.

Next, say hello to Cabinet Dog! Okay he might look a bit sinister, but rest assured, he only has one thing on his mind - cabinets. I mean, he’s bought every single cabinet in the galaxy! It’s actually a bit of a problem, though, as he tells me he’s “drowning in cabinets”. Still, if you need a cabinet, this is the place to be. I recommend you go and buy one. Take a few off his paws. Save him, please.

Disgruntled Dog looks happy, but has given up his biggest secret, that he hates briefcases!

The shelves of Friendly Business Dog’s store are lined with bananas and toilet roll. At the counter he looks so happy.

It’s all getting a bit serious, so let’s raise the mood. Friendly Business Dog’s a ray of sunshine, a golden retriever with boundless energy and a foolproof business plan. He runs the airport’s toilet paper and banana store. This might not make much sense at first, but if you think about it, it clearly makesperfectsense. Customers eat the bananas; the toilet paper is for cleaning up the mess. God, these dogs have such excellent business acumen!

Bribe Dog smiles back from the counter, he knows full well he’s about to bribe us. This is the dirty business he’s involved in.

Mischievous dogs are lovable creatures, and Bribe Dog is certainly a naughty boy. Here’s a little diary entry from when I ran into him:

“I’m a bit early for my 19:34 flight to an alien planet, so I whip out an entire bed and sleep for a few hours to pass the time. I hand over my boarding pass to the Boarding Pass dog, who happily announces the GATE IS OPEN!!!, but the gate doesn’t open. Ah! Who’s this at the desk? I talk to Bribe Dog, he has a crazy look in his eyes. He demands money, so I give him a stack of dollar dollar bills - I don’t question his motives. I know he’s corrupt, but he’s ever such a good boy. Plus, he’s now opened the gate for me. It’s time to fly?!”

The player sits on a flight while Surgeon Dog stares at us…

I encountered Surgeon Dog on my first flight, sitting to my left, staring at me like a toddler. At first I was a bit apprehensive, but I thought I’d make the first move, see what his deal was. Turns out he’s a lovely, intelligent canine. We had a sleepy chat about life, about how I’d been feeling a bit aimless, like I’d been in limbo. He then came out with something quite profound about how it’s quite nice to not have responsibilities sometimes or have a bunch of them at once. He compared it to college, and I thought about my time at university. It brought back a flood of memories, both of long nights trying to hit the word count and coming home to a house littered with pizza boxes.

Thank you Surgeon Dog, I hope wherever you are now, you get a well deserved break.

Disclosure: Xalavier Nelson Jr. has written a bunch of articles for RPS over the years, but this doesn’t have a bearing on the goodness of the dogs.