Realism In Gaming.
Let's be real. Really real.
What comes to mind when I talk about realism in gaming?
Simulator games? Their developers try to simulate real-life jobs, events, and overall feeling. They care about accuracy because it’s in those details where that craft is enjoyed.
Realistic graphics? Being able to see every scratch on every surface, every pore and blemish in each character’s face.
I think about games that try their best to tell a realistic story. Narrative Realism. No fantasy. No supernatural occurrences. To tell a story that is real.
New Genre to Me
As I continue my studies, I’ve been reading a lot and discovering different genres I didn’t know existed. The genres that struck me the most were Realism, Magical Realism, and Speculative Fiction.
Realism: Stories that stay true to reality. No supernatural. No fantasy. Just life.
Magical Realism: Same as Realism, but throw in fiction, but it’s not treated as fiction.
Speculative Fiction: Stories that are speculative by nature, such as what if? stories.
My favorite books that have left a mark on me, and I associate with Realism, are The House on Mango Street and In Everything I See Your Hand. These are both amazing books about real people going through real situations that happen every day. Though some may be seen as “too dramatic,” though the situations are fictitious, they are based on real situations, and they focus on the hardships some people face day-to-day.
Imagine playing one of these simulator games, and they have a story related to social issues. I’ve yet to see one, but that would be the equivalent. Though sometimes, it doesn’t need to be a story with social issues, but something that truly happens.
A great example of Magical Realism is A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, in which an old man with very big wings is found covered in mud, incomprehensible, and hurt. It’s a great short story that deals with religion that can be easily found online, and I highly recommend it.
Speculative Fiction is what the name suggests, it speculates. Plant of the Apes? Spec Fic. Handmaid’s Tale? Spec Fic. Any dystopian or post-apocalyptic story? Spec Fic.
But something I realized is that there aren’t many, if any, games that focus on a just modern realistic story. There are certainly many that could be categorized as Speculative Fiction, but not many would fit into Realism. And from my search, these were the ones I found that could fit on either or genre:
This War of Mine
Developer/publisher: 11 bit studios
Platforms: Steam | Switch | PSN | XBOX
Socials: 11 bit studios’ Twitter | 11 bit studios’ YouTube | 11 bit studios’ Discord
Release date: Nov 14, 2014
Price: $19.99
This War of Mine is an intense and unforgiving survival sim. Not sure if many remember this amazing classic. You take the role of civilians struggling to survive in a besieged city that’s been ravaged by war. And as you’re only a civilian, just normal people like you and me, the game is a struggle as you have to manage your resources or risk getting someone ill, which means you would have to go out and scavenge for more resources in a dangerous place.
That Dragon, Cancer
Developer/publisher: Numinous Games
Platforms: Steam
Socials: Website
Release date: Jan 12, 2016
Price: $9.99
That Dragon, Cancer is a very emotional and real story of a father coping with his son’s terminal illness, told through first-person and third-person perspective. I was reminded of this game by
at the Reconnect Community Discord Server. It’s autobiographical, and while at some points the way the narrative unfolds isn’t realistic, the story is true to life, and a harsh one at that.Papers, Please
Developer/publisher: Lucas Pope
Platforms: Steam | GOG | HumbleBundle | Google Play | App Store
Socials: Website
Release date: Aug 8, 2013
Price: $9.99
In Papers, Please, you are lucky enough to win the labor lottery! You become an immigration inspector, and you’re tasked with inspecting every visitor and immigrant trying to enter Artotzka. Inspect passports, search through people’s clothing, try or try not to accept bribes, and ultimately, try to keep your job to sustain your family.
Her Story
Developer/publisher: Sam Barlow
Platforms: Steam | Google Play
Socials: Twitter
Release date: June 24, 2015
Price: $9.99
I do have to be honest and say that I have very limited knowledge of this game. But, from what I can gather, in Her Story you go through seven interviews stored in a police database to discover what happened to her missing husband. While it’s described as crime fiction, I still placed it on this list because of the realistic premise, as I know that these are cases that do happen in real life and get examined as such.
Unpacking
Developer: Witch Beam
Publisher: Humble Games
Platforms: Steam | Switch | Google Play | App Store
Socials: Witch Beam’s Twitter
Release date: Nov 2, 2013
Price: $19.99
Unpacking is more a game about organizing yourself, and your thoughts, as you see a person go through different stages of life. I remember watching my wife play this game, and it was interesting to see how a story so common and ordinary became captivating as it was told through unpacking boxes. From unpacking your toys to unpacking your clothes as you move into your partner’s apartment, it's a common story told right.
Gone Home
Developer/publisher: Fullbright
Platforms: Steam | Switch | PSN | XBOX | App Store
Socials: Website
Release date: Aug 15, 2013
Price: $14.99
From what I gathered, Gone Home is a first-person love story where you play a woman who arrives at her home after one year abroad. But no one is there to welcome you, and you explore the house to figure out what happened to everyone, and where everyone is. As someone who has been from their family for years, coming back is an odd experience that you have to piece together.
Any games that come to mind that fit any of these criteria? On top of my head (mixes of Realism and Spec Fic), I’d say, maybe, Fallout, L.A. Noire, GTA (debatable), Red Dead (also debatable), Battlefield 1 (maybe?) and Valiant Hearts. I also thought about Conscript, Dear Esther, and Firewatch, but I’m unsure.
Do you think gamers just aren’t interested in realistic stories being told without fictitious occurrences? Is it too niche for it to be marketable?
Nice list. All of these games are modern classics.
I would point you to All Quiet in the Trenches, a game similar in vibe to This War of Mine. You lead a squad through the trenches (literally) in WWII from the German perspective, while attending to their needs and making sure they survive. Even though it's turn-based, the demo level I played was one of the most intense experiences I've had in a game in a long while.