Nevertheless, Gone Home is an interactive experience that has been praised by critics for its narrative innovation. Gone Home is not a conventional videogame by any means and despite being awarded Game of the Year in 2013 (Grant, 2014), it would not be classified as a game under established academic definitions of a game (Juul, 2003 Roberts et al, 1959). It is down to the player’s own interpretation and deduction to unravel the mystery of what happened to your family. Whilst playing the game, all the player can do is walk around the house, open and close drawers and doors, turn lights on or off, and pick up and examine an assortment of objects. This is the premise to Gone Home (2013, Fullbright), a videogame that has been categorised as a “story exploration” game by its creators (Gaynor, 2014). From herein, you explore the deserted house, examining various objects and letters you find to piece together clues which explain what happened to your family in your absence. A note pinned to the front door from your little sister Sam begs you not to look for her and that she will see you again one day.

Significant Impact: Recognizes games that target specific social issues with proven outcomes/actions.Arriving at your family’s new home after returning from a year abroad in Europe, you (playing as Katie Greenbriar), return to find the house empty with your family nowhere to be seen. Games that win demonstrate creativity and embrace experimentation to break conventions of form or concept in a manner that may pave new ways for the sector.īest Gameplay: Recognizes games that demonstrate highly compelling, polished and engaging gameplay and which incorporate gameplay mechanics that align with and reinforce the intended impact goals of the project.īest Learning: Recognizes games that offer meaningful engagement around intended learning objectives, and successfully balance the ‘learning’ with fun, engaging gameplay. All awards are competitive, and submissions are reviewed through a rigorous evaluation process by expert jurors. These might be games that inspire youth to explore civic issues, learn science skills or look after mental health.Įach year Change Awards celebrates games for social impact and learning through their awards. Games for Change is a charity that aims to empower game creators and social innovators to drive real-world change using games and immersive media. What is broken in the space the game creates, and how/if it can be fixed. How other characters (and the world itself sometimes) reacts to your presence. The way that levers and buttons interact. Half caught sentences from passing characters. The narrative of video games is not usually told (like in books) or shown (like in films) but overheard. Less obviously, games can also communicate narrative through how they Simulate the world, what needs solving in Puzzles or even the Strategies players need to employ. Games can use Adventure, Action and Role-Playing to communicate elements of story to players. The best examples intertwine gameplay and storytelling, rather than interspersing short films ('Cut Scenes) between levels. Learning from the power of books and films, these games string together interactions not for excitement or competition but for storytelling beats. Narrative video games focus on telling a story about characters, worlds and themes. In this entry we are looking at Narrative games. This is designed for people new to gaming, and aims to identify games with the least barriers.

In this series, we are learning how different aspects of video games work by playing games that offer an easy introduction to this one concept.

Gone home endings