I played Talking to my Dad and You’re Gone.
Talking to my Dad was made by hatimb00 and is hosted on itch.io. It’s a short game about a father and son talking while taking a drive together. The game progresses solely through dialogue of an awkward, halting conversation as both people in the car try to reconnect.
I think of Talking to my Dad as a linear narrative in the Kinetic Novel genre. The narrative really emerges as the player progresses through choices, with details embedded in the dialogue between father and son. While I don’t think the player really enacts much agency over the narrative, it does unfold nicely throughout the player’s choices, mimicking player agency. I was really inspired by how the game designer was able to accurately capture that awkward tension so common in conversation between estranged family. I was able to empathize not just with the son, but also with the father. Even if I disagreed with how the parent was handling the conversation, I also found myself disagreeing with how the son was talking as well, which I think lends well to making empathy for both parties. I’d like to try and capture that natural phrasing in my own game answer me, to give it that easy-to-read and believable flow of conversation.
You’re Gone was made by makyo and is hosted on itch.io. The game is played entirely through one sided messages from a living widower to their dead partner. Some family drama happens later in the game that is a little surprising, so play the game if you’re intrigued to learn more. I see it similar to a kinetic novel as well.
I think this game really relies on embedded details that provide that emotional impact. The little details that the husband shares about his wife, his home, the jokes they shared together, and the conversations they had in the past, really sell how much he misses her. I was inspired to add some of those minor details to my own narrative, like things about the setting or sound, to sell the emotions of the game.
