Emily is Away

Emily Is Away is an indie visual novel by game developer Kyle Seeley, released for free in November 2015. Set in the early-to-mid 2000s, Emily Is Away tells the story of the protagonist's relationship with a girl, Emily, over the course of five years, from the senior year of high school to the senior year of college. The game is presented through a chat client on Windows XP styled after ICQ and AOL Instant Messenger, specifically their builds in the early-to-mid 2000s, complete with other users' profiles and interface. The choices for profile pictures are generally collected from the culture of the early-to-mid 2000s, including 28 Days Later, The Ring, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, blink-182, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eminem, and Avril Lavigne on the first level. Through special usernames, players can unlock more profile icons referencing early-to-mid 2010s culture, like The Binding of Isaac, Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, Portal, and The Stanley Parable.