Alexander Tarvet
Lecturer in Game Design | PhD Student | Indie Dev
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The Longest Walk

THE LONGEST WALK

Description

The Longest Walk is a deeply personal biographical walking simulator game about my father's experience of living with depression and suicidal thoughts. The game was created using audio recorded from a 54-minute-long interview that I conducted with my dad, which was then edited into this approximately 9-and-a-half minute long playable experience.

The aim for this game is to help reduce feelings of isolation and encourage those who are struggling with depression or experiencing suicidal thoughts to reach out for help. Through my father's sharing of his personal experience in an open and frank manner, this documentary game aims to raise awareness of and provide an insight into what it is like living with depression in order to provoke discussion and help tackle the stigma about opening-up about mental health issues.

Whilst my father's experience and the locations depicted in the game are specific to him, the thoughts, feelings, and message conveyed through his recollection of lived experience are universal.

This free documentary-inspired game is part of a series of biographical game prototypes that I am developing for my PhD at Abertay University - funded by The Northwood Charitable Trust - and was inspired by games such as Dear Esther (The Chinese Room), Actual Sunlight (WZOGI), and That Dragon, Cancer (Numinous Games). The PC game is published under the Abertay Game Lab practice-based research group, whilst the VR game is published by Somewhat Unsettling Ltd.

Content Warning: This experience contains strong language and potentially triggering content on topics related to anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation.

Walkthrough

PC

VR

Screenshots and Renders

Previsualisation

Prototypes

V1.0 (24/06/2022)

VR

Text

Interview Questions

To read the Interview Questions, please click the image above.

Interview

Interview Video

Transcription

To read the Transcript, please click the image above.

Highlighting Emotionally Impactful Sections (Intuition)

To read the Highlighted Transcript, please click the image above.

NVivo Coding (Narrative Portraits Method)

Documentary Script

To read the Documentary Script, please click the image above.

Audio

Audio Portraits (Narrative Portraits Method)

Final Edited Dialogue (Recorded using Audacity on PC, Blue Snowball)

Cut Audio

Original SFX (Recorded using Dolby On app on iPhone 13 Mini, Internal Mic)

3D Scans

Marketing Materials

 V1.0

Store Page

Steam Assets

V2.0

Store Pages

Steam Assets

VR

Selection of Player Feedback - Steam

Press

Events and Photographs

Showcase & Guest Talk - ‘Game On’ Exhibition (Jun-Nov 2024) - National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh

Showcase & Presentation - Mindset XR Innovation Support Programme Roadshow (Jun 2024) - ARC Research Hub, Glasgow

Presentation - Design Lab with Now Play This (Jun 2024) - Abertay University, Dundee

Showcase - Avant Beetle Mixtape #1 (Feb 2024) - Cabbagetown Art Center, Atlanta, Georgia

Fireside Panel - Innovators Assemble (Jan 2023) - ARC Research Hub, Glasgow

Guest Talk - Narrative Portraits Book Launch (Jan 2023) - Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh

Showcase & Presentation - Chi Play (Nov 2022) - Congress Centrum, Bremen

Showcase - Scottish Games Expo (Oct 2022) - Eagle Labs, Glasgow

Showcase - Gaming for Good (Sept 2022) - ARC Research Hub, Glasgow

Showcase & Research Poster - iGGi Conference (Sept 2022) - Ron Cooke Hub, York

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Let's Plays (Playlist)