If you could use some of the Tuxcart resources/engine, perhaps a vehicle-based battle game with a garage for customization of your vehicle?

I’d say keep it simple to start. Perhaps a turn-based tactics game like final fantasy tactics advance, or more 3D, like XCOM?

I haven’t had any problems like that, but I generally don’t leave my screen on. So perhaps I would have this issue, but just never notice it because of how I use the device.

I’m very conscious of energy use, I almost always manually set my laptop to sleep if I’m leaving it idle for a while.

Bazzite just works, it runs every game I have with zero fuss, it’s easy to run Windows programs / emulators / local LLMs, AND it’s basically unbreakable.

Mechwarrior 5 mercenaries with mods that add lots of lore-accurate content and additional equipment/loadout options.

I’m just starting to get some of the bigger mechs, and the carnage is epic and loads of fun. The short missions are also great for me as a busy father.

I second that opinion. It seemed shallow and easy at the beginning, but turned out to be a really entertaining and challenging game. I also love how the characters age, develop, and eventually retire.

No worries, bazzite has you covered there too.

https://flathub.org/apps/com.heroicgameslauncher.hgl

I can second bazzite. It. Just. Works. But it is built differently from the distros that everyone has heard of like arch & Ubuntu, so it’s best to read up on how to install non-flatpak programs.

Keep in mind that steam can run Windows programs for you with it’s emulation layer. It’s not the only option, but it is convenient as an app launcher.