Gone Home 4 Corners Exercise (Group 1)
shooters exist to support action-packed combat, the environments in
most walking sims are designed to be platforms for understanding and
empathizing with characters." (125)
As written by Reed, et al, the difference in environments when relating to first person shooter games and the walking simulators is that the simulators are designed to let players have a reflective experience, whereas the shooter games allow players to feel suspense while they combat other players.
Why this quote is important:
This quote is important because it outlines the differences between the shooter games and walking simulators by pointing out the difference in gaming experiences. The difference being that one provides a relaxing reflective experience, while the other is "action-packed" and allows the player to experience fear and other feelings associated with that.
Gone Home is a relaxing and reflective experience. Its slow pace contradicts the typical action-packed shooter games. The environment of the game provides visuals for the player to take their time and observe closely, for example, the various newspaper clipping and the cassette tapes scattered throughout the mansion, although not as integral to the story, but allowed for the player to be more immersed into the game.
In addition to being slowed down by the extra fluff around the map, Gone Home does not provide a sprint key. From one room to another, back and forth as you search for ways to get unstuck, you must walk slowly, while in a first person shooter, the expectation is to rotate from one point to another quickly, stowing away your main weapon to run faster.
Group 2: First person shooters have environments which support the action-packed gameplay, however, for walking sims, the environments exists to provide a more laid back, exploration based experience. As a result, the environments of walking sims are more cluttered with things to interact with.
