AIQS Workbook 2026 FALL (4:15 Section)!

Agency in Gone Home by Group 2

But the unsolvable maze does hold promise as an expressive structure. Walking through a rhizome one enacts a story of wandering, of being enticed in conflicting directions, of remaining always open to surprise, of feeling helpless to orient oneself or to find an exit, but the story is also oddly reassuring. In the rhizome, one is constantly threatened but also continuously enclosed. (Murray 132)

According to Murray, having choices in digital literature has both a reassuring and threatening effect due to having both a level of control over the story but also the uncertainty of not knowing where each path would lead to (132). In "Gone Home", this same sentiment can be seen. With the freedom to move objects and choose your path, the user gets the opportunity to operate at their own level of agency. However, due to atmospheric effects (like the locked doors, the red light from the attic, etc.), the game also demonstrates a level of obscurity that can create a sense of dread for the player. 
 

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