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Games of Note: #4 - Dear Esther (2012)
Games of Note: #4 - Dear Esther (2012)
In this episode, we dive into Dear Esther, the pioneering 2008 Half-Life 2 mod turned 2012 standalone title, often hailed as the first “walking simulator.” Forgoing combat, puzzles, and win-loss mechanics, it invites players on a solitary, poetic stroll across a mist-shrouded Hebridean island, exploring themes of loss and bereavement.
We discuss its roots in thechineseroom’s early research mods, unpack the debates over its legitimacy as a “game,” and celebrate how its success reshaped the indie scene and proved games could be profound, emotionally driven art.
Show Notes
- Antlion Soccer (Source/Half-Life 2) - a football mod but instead of a ball you use the gravity gun from Half-Life 2 to push the Antlion enemies into a goal: Link
- Korsakovia (Source/Half-Life 2) - a survival horror with a similar approach as Dear Esther with ambiguous story telling: Link
- Conscientious Objector (idTech4/ DOOM3) - a DOOM3 mod of the opening levels but your shotgun bullets are replaced with rubber bullets due to it being cheaper for the UAC: Link
- Dr Pinchbek paper on this mod called ‘Conscientious Objector: Pacifism, Politics and Abusing the Player in Doom 3’: Link
- PCGamer interview with Dr Pinchbek: Link
- Dr Pinchbek summary of the project from his blog: Link
About Games of Note
Games of Note is a video game podcast hosted by game designer Will Luton & biz dev consultant Wayne Emanuel, where we discuss not if a game is good or bad, but the impact it had on the culture and business of video games.
Follow us:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | RSS
Contact Us:Email: [email protected]
Bluesky |TikTok | YouTube Shorts
View all episodes
By Games of Note PodcastGames of Note: #4 - Dear Esther (2012)
In this episode, we dive into Dear Esther, the pioneering 2008 Half-Life 2 mod turned 2012 standalone title, often hailed as the first “walking simulator.” Forgoing combat, puzzles, and win-loss mechanics, it invites players on a solitary, poetic stroll across a mist-shrouded Hebridean island, exploring themes of loss and bereavement.
We discuss its roots in thechineseroom’s early research mods, unpack the debates over its legitimacy as a “game,” and celebrate how its success reshaped the indie scene and proved games could be profound, emotionally driven art.
Show Notes
- Antlion Soccer (Source/Half-Life 2) - a football mod but instead of a ball you use the gravity gun from Half-Life 2 to push the Antlion enemies into a goal: Link
- Korsakovia (Source/Half-Life 2) - a survival horror with a similar approach as Dear Esther with ambiguous story telling: Link
- Conscientious Objector (idTech4/ DOOM3) - a DOOM3 mod of the opening levels but your shotgun bullets are replaced with rubber bullets due to it being cheaper for the UAC: Link
- Dr Pinchbek paper on this mod called ‘Conscientious Objector: Pacifism, Politics and Abusing the Player in Doom 3’: Link
- PCGamer interview with Dr Pinchbek: Link
- Dr Pinchbek summary of the project from his blog: Link
About Games of Note
Games of Note is a video game podcast hosted by game designer Will Luton & biz dev consultant Wayne Emanuel, where we discuss not if a game is good or bad, but the impact it had on the culture and business of video games.
Follow us:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | RSS
Contact Us:Email: [email protected]
Bluesky |TikTok | YouTube Shorts