“Boys of Summer” is a dynamically generated PFP NFT collection and browser-based simulation game that makes a poignant social critique of the overshadowing of our lives by metrics and optimization, reducing human existence to commodified, quantifiable data. It was released in August 2023 through Wild.xyz. Generative art and games share common ground, and at least for me, a personal history. My first encounter with generativity in computing was as a child through the procedurally generated dungeon levels, simulation, and emergent gameplay of Roguelike games. It was such a formative experience to inspire a passion for creative computing. Simulation games are interactive dynamic systems. A gen artist exploring a parameter space or a player exploring a game world share a common intrinsic motivation for discovery. This seems an ideal state for receptive contemplation of complex ideas, speaking to the potential of games as an art medium. Many, including myself, have had such an experience playing “Boys of Summer.” Themes and concepts of the work are not simply communicated but instead discovered and experienced emotionally through reflection of our own in-game decisions. — 0xDEAFBEEF