Performing walking sims: From Dear Esther to Inchcolm Project | Intellect Skip to content
1981
  1. Home
  2. A-Z Publications
  3. Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds
  4. Volume 12, Issue 1
  5. Article
Volume 12, Issue 1
  • ISSN: 1757-191X
  • E-ISSN: 1757-1928

Abstract

In 2012 The Chinese Room launched , a video game that would go on to shape video game history and define a new genre: the walking simulator. Walking simulators renounce traditional game tropes and foreground walking as an aesthetic and as a dramaturgical practice, which engages the walker/player in critical acts of reading, challenging and/or performing a landscape. In October 2016, was adapted as a site-responsive, promenade performance set on the Scottish island of Inchcolm in the Firth of Forth. The resulting performance, , was then experienced alongside the game under the umbrella name . This hybrid event – multimedia (promenade performance, gameplay and musical performance) and mixed-reality (with physical, augmented and virtual components) – required the development and implementation of complex processes of remediation and adaptation. Drawing from a range of theories and practitioner reflection, this article puts forward a design framework – storywalking – which reconciled the two adaptation challenges: responding to the site and to the game.

© 2020 Intellect Ltd
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/jgvw_00003_1
2020-03-01
2024-04-25
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Aarseth, Espen J.. ( 1997), Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Literature, Baltimore, MD:: Johns Hopkins University Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Alston, Adam. ( 2016;), ‘ Making mistakes in immersive theatre: Spectatorship and errant immersion. ’, Journal of Contemporary Drama in English, 4:1, pp. 61–73.
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Arnold-de Simine, Silke. ( 2015;), ‘ The ruin as memorial: The memorial as ruin. ’, Performance Research, 20:3, pp. 94–102.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Barthes, Roland. ( [1970] 1974), S/Z (trans. R. Miller.), New York:: Hill and Wang;.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Bassett, Keith. ( 2004;), ‘ Walking as an aesthetic practice and a critical tool: Some psychogeographic experiments. ’, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 28:3, pp. 397–410.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Benford, Steve, and Giannachi, Gabriella. ( 2011), Performing Mixed Reality, London and Cambridge, MA:: MIT Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  7. Beswick, Katie. ( 2015;), ‘ Ruin lust and the council estate. ’, Performance Research, 20:3, pp. 29–38.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Bozdog, Mona. ( 2016;), ‘ Dear Rachel. ’, performance score, Inchcolm Project, Inchcolm Island , October, https://www.performingplay.co.uk/text. Accessed 31 August 2019.
  9. Bozdog, Mona. ( 2019;), ‘ Playing with performance/performing play: Creating hybrid experiences at the fringes of video games and performance. ’, Ph.D. thesis, Dundee:: Abertay University;, https://rke.abertay.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/playing-with-performanceperforming-play. Accessed 10 December 2019.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Bozdog, Mona, and Galloway, Dayna. ( 2016), Inchcolm Project, performance, Inchcolm Island , October, https://rke.abertay.ac.uk/admin/editor/dk/atira/pure/api/shared/model/researchoutput/editor/nontextualeditor.xhtml. Accessed 3 February 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Bozdog, Mona, and Galloway, Dayna. ( 2019;), ‘ Worlds at our fingertips: Reading (in) What Remains of Edith Finch. ’, Games and Culture, ArticleFirst , 2 May.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Briscoe, Robert. ( 2012a;), ‘ The art of Dear Esther: Building an environment to tell a story. ’, Game Developers Conference, San Francisco, https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1015839/The-Art-of-Dear-Esther. Accessed 3 February 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  13. Briscoe, Robert. ( 2012b;), ‘ Up close with Dear Esther level designer Robert Briscoe. ’, interviewed by Zohra Ashpari , PC World , 8 March, https://www.pcworld.com/article/251408/up_close_with_dear_esther_level_designer_robert_briscoe.html. Accessed 3 February 2020.
  14. Calleja, Gordon. ( 2011), In-Game from Immersion to Incorporation, Cambridge, MA:: MIT Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Careri, Francesco. ( [2002] 2017), Walkscapes: Walking as an Aesthetic Practice, Ames, IA:: Culicidae Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. The Chinese Room ( 2012), Dear Esther, Microsoft Windows, Brighton:: The Chinese Room;.
     [Google Scholar]
  17. Chion, Michel. ( 1999), The Voice in Cinema, Chichester:: Columbia University Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Curry, Jessica. ( 2013;), ‘ The music of Dear Esther: Creating powerful scores with limited resources. ’, Game Developers Conference, San Francisco, https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1017704/The-Music-of-Dear-Esther. Accessed 3 February 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  19. Cyan, Inc.. ( 1993), Myst, Microsoft Windows, Washington, DC:: Brøderbund;.
     [Google Scholar]
  20. Dillon, Brian. ( 2011), Ruins, London:: MIT Press and Whitechapel Documents of Contemporary Art;.
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Drobnick, Jim. ( 2002;), ‘ Toposmia: Art, scent, and interrogations of spatiality. ’, Angelaki, 7:1, pp. 31–47.
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Drobnick, Jim. ( 2005;), ‘ Volatile effects: Olfactory dimensions of art and architecture. ’, in D. Howes. (ed.), Empire of the Senses, Oxford:: Berg;, pp. 265–80.
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Edensor, Tim. ( 2008;), ‘ Walking through ruins. ’, in T. Ingold, and J. Lee Vergunst. (eds), Ways of Walking: Ethnography and Practice on Foot, Farnham:: Ashgate Publishing Ltd;, pp. 123–42.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Edensor, Tim. ( 2010;), ‘ Walking in rhythms: Place, regulation, style and the flow of experience. ’, Visual Studies, 25:1, pp. 69–79.
     [Google Scholar]
  25. Ensslin, Astrid. ( 2014), Literary Gaming, Cambridge, MA:: MIT Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  26. Giannachi, Gabriella. ( 2004), Virtual Theatres: An Introduction, London:: Routledge;.
     [Google Scholar]
  27. Hayles, N. Katherine. ( 2008), Electronic Literature: New Horizons for the Literary, Paris:: University of Notre Dame;.
     [Google Scholar]
  28. Heckman, Davin, and O’Sullivan, James. ( 2018;), ‘ Electronic literature: Contexts and poetics. ’, in K. M. Price, and R. Siemens. (eds), Literary Studies in a Digital Age, Modern Language Association;, https://dlsanthology.mla.hcommons.org/electronic-literature-contexts-and-poetics/. Accessed 10 December 2019.
     [Google Scholar]
  29. Heddon, Deirdre. ( 2012;), ‘ Turning 40, 40 turns: Walking and friendship. ’, Performance Research, 17:2, pp. 67–75.
     [Google Scholar]
  30. Heddon, Deirdre, and Turner, Cathy. ( 2010;), ‘ Walking women: Interviews with artists on the move. ’, Performance Research, 15:4, pp. 14–22.
     [Google Scholar]
  31. Henshaw, Victoria. ( 2014), Urban Smellscapes: Understanding and Designing City Smell Environments, London and New York:: Routledge;.
     [Google Scholar]
  32. Hill, Leslie, and Paris, Helen. ( 2014), Performing Proximity: Curious Intimacies, Basingstoke:: Palgrave Macmillan;.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Hosokawa, Shuhei. ( 1984;), ‘ The walkman effect. ’, Popular Music, Special Issue: ‘Performers and Audiences’ , 4, pp. 165–80.
     [Google Scholar]
  34. Howes, David. (ed.) ( 2005), Empire of the Senses, Oxford:: Berg;.
     [Google Scholar]
  35. Hutcheon, Linda, and O’Flynn, Siobhan. ( 2012), A Theory of Adaptation, , 2nd ed.., Abingdon:: Routlede;.
     [Google Scholar]
  36. Ingold, Tim. ( 2016), Lines: A Brief History, , Routledge Classics ed.., Abingdon:: Routledge;.
     [Google Scholar]
  37. Ingold, Tim, and Lee Vergunst, Jo. ( 2008), Ways of Walking: Ethnography and Practice on Foot, Farnham:: Ashgate Publishing;.
     [Google Scholar]
  38. Kagen, Melissa. ( 2017;), ‘ Walking simulators, #GamerGate, and the gender of wandering. ’, in J. Eburne, and B. Schreier. (eds), Nerds, Wonks, and Neocons, The Year’s Work , Bloomington, IN:: Indiana University Press;, pp. 249–74.
     [Google Scholar]
  39. Kagen, Melissa. ( 2018;), ‘ Walking, talking and playing with masculinities in Firewatch. ’, Game Studies, 18:2, http://gamestudies.org/1802/articles/kagen. Accessed 21 February 2019.
     [Google Scholar]
  40. Kagen, Melissa. ( 2019;), ‘ Archival adventuring. ’, Convergence, OnlineFirst , 6 May.
     [Google Scholar]
  41. Lorimer, Hayden, and Murray, Simon. ( 2015;), ‘ The ruin in question. ’, Performance Research, 20:3, pp. 58–66.
     [Google Scholar]
  42. Machon, Josephine. ( 2009), (Syn)aesthetics: Redefining Visceral Performance, Basingstoke:: Palgrave Macmillan;.
     [Google Scholar]
  43. Machon, Josephine. ( 2013), Immersive Theatres: Intimacy and Immediacy in Contemporary Performance, Basingstoke:: Palgrave Macmillan;.
     [Google Scholar]
  44. Murray Schafer, Raymond. ( 1994), The Soundscape: Our Sonic Environment and the Tuning of the World, Rochester, VT:: Destiny Books;.
     [Google Scholar]
  45. Myers, Misha. ( 2010;), ‘ “Walk with me, talk with me”: The art of conversive wayfinding. ’, Visual Studies, 25:1, pp. 59–68.
     [Google Scholar]
  46. Pearson, Mike. ( 2010), Site-Specific Performance, Basingstoke:: Palgrave MacMillan;.
     [Google Scholar]
  47. Pinchbeck, Dan. ( 2012a;), ‘ Dear Esther: Making an indie success out of an experimental mod. ’, Game Developers Conference, San Francisco, https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1015529/Dear-Esther-Making-an-Indie. Accessed 3 February 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  48. Pinchbeck, Dan. ( 2012b;), ‘ Ambiguity and abstraction in game writing: Lessons from Dear Esther. ’, Game Developers Conference Europe, Cologne, Germany, https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1016695/Ambiguity-and-Abstraction-in-Game. Accessed 3 February 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  49. Pinchbeck, Dan,, Curry, Jessica, and Briscoe, Robert. ( 2017;), ‘ Director’s commentary. ’, Dear Esther, , Landmark Edition., Microsoft Windows, Brighton:: The Chinese Room;.
     [Google Scholar]
  50. Porteous, J. Douglas. ( 1985;), ‘ Smellscape. ’, Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment, 9:3, pp. 356–78.
     [Google Scholar]
  51. Pungetti, Gloria. ( 2012;), ‘ Islands, culture, landscape and seascape. ’, Journal of Marine and Island Cultures, 1:2, pp. 51–54, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imic.2012.11.007. Accessed 31 August 2019.
     [Google Scholar]
  52. Rouse III, Richard. ( 2001;), ‘ Game design: Theory and practice – The elements of gameplay. ’, Gamasutra , 27 June, https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131472/game_design__theory_and_practice_.php. Accessed 31 August 2019.
  53. Ruberg, Bonnie. ( 2019), Video Games Have Always Been Queer, New York:: New York University Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  54. Smalley, Denis. ( 2007;), ‘ Space-form and the acousmatic image. ’, Organised Sound, 12:1, pp. 35–58.
     [Google Scholar]
  55. Smith, Phil. ( 2015;), ‘ Sites of dereliction: Beginnings and allies of performance. ’, Performance Research, 20:3, pp. 67–74.
     [Google Scholar]
  56. Smith, Harvey, and Worch, Matthias. ( 2010;), ‘ What happened here? Environmental storytelling. ’, Game Developers Conference, San Francisco, https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1012647/What-Happened-Here-Environmental. Accessed 3 February 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  57. Solnit, Rebecca. ( 2002), Wanderlust: A History of Walking, London:: Verso;.
     [Google Scholar]
  58. Turner, Cathy. ( 2004;), ‘ Palimpsest or potential space? Finding a vocabulary for site-specific performance. ’, New Theatre Quarterly, 20:4, pp. 373–90.
     [Google Scholar]
  59. Upton, Brian. ( 2015), The Aesthetic of Play, London and Cambridge, MA:: MIT Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  60. Valve Corporation ( 2004a), Source Engine, game engine , Microsoft Windows, Bellevue, WA:: Valve Corporation;.
     [Google Scholar]
  61. Valve Corporation ( 2004b), Half-Life 2, game engine , Microsoft Windows, Bellevue, WA:: Valve Corporation;.
     [Google Scholar]
  62. Voegelin, Salomé. ( 2014), Sonic Possible Worlds: Hearing the Continuum of Sound, New York and London:: Blomsbury Academic;.
     [Google Scholar]
  63. Wilkie, Fiona. ( 2002;), ‘ Mapping the terrain: A survey of site-specific performance in Britain. ’, New Theatre Quarterly, 18:2, pp. 140–60.
     [Google Scholar]
  64. Bozdog, Mona, and Galloway, Dayna. ( 2020;), ‘ Performing walking sims: From Dear Esther to Inchcolm Project. ’, Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds, 12:1, pp. 23–47, doi: https://doi.org/10.1386/jgvw_00003_1
     [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1386/jgvw_00003_1
Loading
Performing walking sims: From Dear Esther to Inchcolm Project
Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds 12, 23 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1386/jgvw_00003_1
/content/journals/10.1386/jgvw_00003_1
/content/journals/10.1386/jgvw_00003_1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): adaptation; game design; hybrid storytelling; mixed-reality; performance; site-specific; walking; walking simulators

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error