Encounters with the Self as the Other: Empathy in the Games of Nomada Studio

This paper argues that discussions of empathy in videogames should move beyond the traditional other-oriented model toward self-empathy, a process in which players turn empathic attention inward. Focusing on the abstract, largely wordless narratives of Nomada Studio's GRIS (2018) and Neva (2024), both centered on grief and loss, the author contends that evocative audiovisual and mechanical elements invite players to project their own experiences onto the gameworld rather than inhabit a fully defined player character. The work situates itself within debates over whether empathy is affective or cognitive, and over the critique that games risk commodifying empathy or encouraging "identity tourism."

The methodology proceeds in three steps. A qualitative analysis of selected Steam reviews identifies five analytical categories through which players describe their emotional responses: color and visuals, sound and score, and game mechanics and design. These are treated as evocative narrative elements that players use to form empathic connections. The reviews are read as shorthand for players' interpretive efforts and affective impact rather than as a systematic sample, reflecting an exploratory rather than statistical orientation.

Drawing on Jason Begy's concept of the "experiential metaphor," the paper then argues that gameplay can stand in for emotional processes and mental states, with the games' open gaps enabling players to supply personal meaning. Finally, the author adapts the psychological notion of self-empathy, in which individuals extend the compassion they have felt toward others to their own lived experiences, to describe the effect these games produce. The paper's central conclusion is that Nomada Studio's design invites reflective engagement that redirects empathic feeling toward the player's own self.