Game Overview
Name of the Game: Gone Home
Developer: The Fullbright Company
Publisher: The Fullbright Company Platform: PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Target Audience: Players interested in narrative-driven experiences, those who enjoy exploration games, and fans of interactive storytelling.
Players, as Katie Greenbriar, return home to find the house deserted and uncover the story of her sister Sam through environmental storytelling. The game explores themes of love, identity, and personal growth, particularly through Sam’s relationship with Lonnie. This same-sex relationship, in my opinion, positively affirms queer identity and challenges traditional gender and sexuality norms in video games.
Playing Gone Home as a feminist reveals the game’s commitment to deconstructing traditional gender norms and its effort to positively affirm identity and emotional labor. However, I believe it could further integrate intersectional perspectives to enhance its narrative.
In my opinion, the game’s strength lies in its realistic portrayal of teenage emotions and struggles. I believe the relationship between Sam and Lonnie is handled with sensitivity and depth, making their story relatable and impactful. This is in line with feminist viewpoints, which emphasise genuine and varied portrayals of women’s lives. I also think it encourages players to piece together the story from hints left all over the house thanks to the non-linear storytelling. Feminist game design, which emphasizes player agency and exploration, is known for its use of storytelling techniques that respect the intelligence of the player and encourage active engagement.
I believe the portrayal of a queer relationship in Gone Home is admirable but it lacks intersectional perspectives. In my opinion, the story’s inclusiveness is limited by the characters’ predominance of middle-class, white people. I think it might be possible to explore identity more deeply by including characters from a range of racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. Sam’s journey, an emotional one marked by reflection and personal development, is a major theme of the game. The emotional labor in family relationships may be further highlighted from Katie’s point of view, as she returns home to an empty house and piecemeals her family’s struggles. The game may tackle societal injustices, gender norms, and patriarchy more directly despite its feminist overtones. Deeper character backstories or more plot points could make this happen.
Drawing on Shira Chess’s “Play Like a Feminist,” I think Gone Home is consistent with creating games that subvert patriarchal structures and are engaging for a broad audience. Because it respects the player’s intelligence, allows them to explore the house at their own pace, and encourages deeper engagement, the game gives players the impression that they are in control. Characters from a variety of racial, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds should be included in Gone Home in order to create a more inclusive narrative. To better align the game with feminist ideals and increase its empathy and understanding, it would be beneficial to more overtly address systemic issues such as patriarchy and gender norms. The game’s emphasis on self-reflection and emotional storytelling is in line with feminist theory, demonstrating the power of games to promote empathy. Gone Home immerses players in Sam’s story to force them to think about viewpoints and experiences that are different from their own.
The effectiveness of Gone Home in environmental storytelling is evident in how players interact with the game world. For example, during my gameplay, I discovered a diary in a tucked-away nook which illuminated a character’s personal struggles, providing context to previous ambiguous clues. The designers meticulously consider every aspect, purposefully including proof in the game to bolster a well-rounded narrative. The house’s rooms are each themed around a different aspect of the family’s life, which is progressively revealed through investigation. The way the story moves from one area or room to another is crucial to its pacing.
Sam’s feelings and struggles are poignantly expressed in game evidence, such as excerpts from her diary entries, demonstrating the game’s realistic portrayal of teenage emotions. I thought that Sam’s journal offered a profound window into her emotional journey by expressing her excitement and confusion regarding her relationship with Lonnie. Letters expressing concerns about her personal life and congratulating her on her new job, like the one from Carol, further demonstrated the game’s emphasis on emotional depth and storytelling. The non-linear narrative structure of the game was emphasized by the descriptions of important items, like the cassette tape that was discovered in Sam’s room, which assisted me in assembling the story. In addition, I had a sense of accomplishment when I figured out important plot points like the secret letters and recordings, which showed how engaging and powerful the game was.
By challenging conventional gender norms and promoting queer identity, I believe Gone Home deftly integrates feminist theories. But by adding more intersectional viewpoints and openly addressing structural problems like patriarchy and gender norms, it could improve its story. By doing this, the game would be more in line with feminist ideals and provide a more comprehensive, inclusive storytelling experience. In my opinion, the game would be more thorough and captivating for a larger audience if it included characters from a variety of backgrounds and addressed more significant social issues. Gone Home’s nuanced and introspective approach presents a distinctive experience in contrast to games like “Life is Strange,” which also addresses feminist themes. However, I think more diversity and wider social commentary would be better.
