The Chinese Room

I Cried to Dream Again: Discovery and Meaning-Making in Walking Simulators

This paper argues for reclaiming walking simulators as complex, self-contained game worlds that draw players in through experiential aesthetics and exploration mechanics.

• The paper argues that walking simulators such as Dear Esther (The Chinese Room, 2012) and Proteus (Ed Key and David Kanaga, 2013) should be recognised as complex, self-contained game worlds rather than dismissed as minimal experiences.
• Its central claim is that the peaceful, single-player, first-person, non-competitive gameplay enabled by the island setting heightens affective, narrative, spatial, and kinaesthetic involvement for players.
• The island works as a practical design tool: its tension between desirability and inaccessibility limits the game world while drawing on players' cultural associations that shape expectations and reception.