Games reflecting life

The flexibility and diversity of indie games as a form enable them to explore more varied stories and themes than those you might find in traditional mainstream games.

Many of the constraints that can be found in larger commercial game studios are not present in the indie game scene, and countless smaller devs have used their work to explore social issues or their own personal experiences.

Themes such as loneliness and isolation, mental health, morality (as we saw earlier with Papers Please), trauma and gender are among those we have seen explored in indie titles. These games blur the lines between what is considered entertainment, education, art or social commentary.

In this step, we present just a few games of this kind and again encourage you to seek them out, read about them, watch some of the gameplay on YouTube and play them if you are able to.

Kentucky Route Zero

This game taps into the theme of the decline of working class American towns, and explores places that feel as though they’ve been abandoned by wider society and left to decay. You play as an aging delivery driver who travels through Kentucky in search of a secret highway which will allow him to make his final delivery. You find foreclosed houses, abandoned mines and experience difficulties that shine a light on economic despair.

Kentucky Route Zero was created after the 2008 financial crisis.

“When we started working on the game, I was thinking about exploring the mystery of that relationship, of being a person in a precarious financial situation and trying to grapple with these forces that seem almost supernatural,” says Jake Elliott, one of the game’s creators.

Howling Dogs

“If nothing changes in our understanding, we remain trapped…The only way to get anywhere in howling dogs is to stop consuming and start paying attention.”

Celeste

“It smartly conveys what it’s like to contend with mental illness while also trying to be a helpful, sociable person”, said Kotaku.

Game design, narrative and a personal touch

Time to reflect

Think about the games you’ve looked at in this step. What would happen if you changed some story elements or brought those story elements into a different gameplay context? Were there any moments where the gameplay undermined the story or vice versa?

Now consider a memory you have or a feeling you’ve experienced which is personal to you. How could you design a game element which might evoke a similar response in a player?