A video game player who attempts to “share” the feeling of a character represented on screen, especially when that feeling emerges from experiences of marginalization, is involved in affective appropriation. Under the banner of empathy, players are invited to visit the experiences of others, trying on their identities like foreign attire and turning their lives into novelty destinations. We might even say that the rhetoric of empathy promotes a colonizing of affect: an invasion, occupation, and subjugation of others’ experiences. (Ruberg 61)

Summary:
Ruberg criticizes the focus on empathy in games as a means of helping the player understand the experiences of people that struggle with unjust power dynamics in society. Ruberg argues that this simplification of the experience of marginalized groups leads to a false sense of understanding by those with a privileged perspective (61). In Gone Home, the player is in a privileged position since they play as Katie; with the game set in 1995, the heteronormative standard set by society at this time forces Sam into a difficult position of needing to keep her true identity hidden. Katie, who doesn't experience this oppression, is attempting to piece together the reasoning behind her sister's disappearance. This doesn't create a false sense of understanding of queer identity and the troubles of coming out since these situations happened prior to the start of the game. From another perspective, one could see how Playing as Katie, the player in Gone Home literally invades the life and experiences of an individual in a marginalized community. The player went through the notes between Sam and Lonnie, as well as Sam's personal possessions, like the picture of Lonnie. To the player, Lonnie is just a stranger, but to Sam, Lonnie is a very important person to her. Overall, Gone Home as a game addresses difficult issues surrounding unjust power dynamics in society by allowing the player to see into the life of two people who have experienced the negative affects of oppression resulting from societies heteronormative ideals. 
KM, MS, FD, SW
KE, RM, KB, ES
(KM, LV, DM, IC)
NS, UB, SN, 
Conclusion:

GM SN UB NS