Walking simulators and an ethics of care: An essay

Abstract

The emergence of the genre of ‘walking simulators’ problematized the way by which a ‘game’ is defined. As walking simulators were relegated to the realm of being a non-game or an anti-game in a post-GamerGate world, it became increasingly important to evaluate the relationship that they had with masculinity and femininity. Moreover, it became crucial to articulate the interventions that the genre was offering and to review the definition of a ‘game’ in order to account for greater inclusivity. This essay examines walking simulators through a multidisciplinary lens, bringing in fields such as sociology, queer theory and communication to name a few. By tying together multidisciplinary perspectives on walking simulators, I reveal the genre’s engagements with care-oriented labour and an ‘ethics of care’. The essay concludes with a discussion on the games Firewatch and Death Stranding, where the implications of their respective entanglements with an ethics of care are foregrounded.