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)

Corner 2: Ruberg argues that the empathy rhetoric, through suggesting the player embodies the identities of marginalized individuals, promotes a kind of "stealing" of these individual's perspectives and emotions. The player cannot actually relate to the feelings they are "empathizing" with, but they nonetheless are taking these embodied identities as their own (Ruberg 61).
MH, GG, KH

Ruberg emphasizes that when the user takes on the perspective of the character on the screen, it degrades the experiences of the queer community (61). In "Gone Home," since the user does not play directly as the queer character, Sam, they're able to interpret her experience without altering it themselves. 
JC, SB, YD, RC

The image below shows how "Gone Home" connects with Ruberg's article as the player is only able to learn about Sam through a series of letters and they cannot identify with Sam and her coming to terms with her sexuality. 
KS, RR, SP, AS
The image provided, along with the examples from "Gone Home" echo Ruberg's point about how trying to empathize with the characters in a way can begin to steal from the character's experience - which are designed to echo the experiences of actual people.



Analysis: The audience of the diary was the player, Katie, and specifically NOT Sam's parents since she is unable to express this feelings freely/safety with them. The purpose of the diary was to express Sam's last personal goodbye to Katie and explain and reason her situation. The environment is the player/Katie is alone in the house during a storm creating suspense of Sam's situation and whereabouts. Katie has found clues and hints to put together Sam's sexuality. In addition, the book was found in the attic so it adds to the mystery of the family's disappearance. The book is handwritten, and hidden, showing she was hiding her personal stuff like she was hiding her personal thoughts from her parents. Katie reads and discovers Sam's situation from an outside perspective by reading her diary. The diary bridges the gap between Sam's and Katie's perspective even if they might not be able to relate to each other completely.