Walden, a Game

The gameplay in Walden, a game is balanced between several goals: surviving in the woods through self-reliant living; seeking inspiration in the woods through attention to animals, sounds, solitude, and books; and exploration and discovery of the social and personal context leading to Thoreau's experiment.

The survival simulation focuses on the four "necessaries of life" as described by Thoreau in the book Walden—food, fuel, shelter, and clothing. Players must care-take these aspects of their life in the woods in order to maintain their energy. If they fail to do so, they will faint from exhaustion.

The game was developed over the course of ten years as a research project at the USC Game Innovation Lab led by Tracy Fullerton. The game began production in 2007 without funding, but in 2012 was awarded a media arts grant from the NEA to support the production of the game. This support was followed by admission into the Sundance New Frontier Story Lab in 2014, and grants from the NEH Digital Projects for the Public.

The crew for the production was made up of a small core team of faculty and staff from the Game Innovation Lab as well as students who participated over the years. The audio design and music composition for the game was done by Michael Sweet of Berklee College of Music and the score for the game was recorded live at Berklee College. The voice of Henry David Thoreau is performed by actor Emile Hirsch. The game was announced for PlayStation 4 at the 2017 PlayStation Experience.

Walden, a game was selected for several festivals prior to its launch, including Indiecade 2014 (Digital Select), Indiecade 2015 (Finalist), Tokyo Game Show Sense of Wonder Night 2015, International Documentary Film Festival 2015, Sheffield Doc Fest 2015 (Special Mention Interactive Award), Meaningful Play 2016 (Most Meaningful Game Award) and Davos Betazone 2017 at the World Economic Forum.

The game received significant press attention after an article on the front page of The New York Times extolled its unique premise: "In 'Walden' Video Game, the Challenge Is Stillness." The launch of the game in July 2017, concurrent with the 200th anniversary of Thoreau's birth, brought attention from Harper's Magazine, The Smithsonian Magazine, The Times, USA Today, CNN, Rock, Paper, Shotgun, Slate, Salon and Rolling Stone among others. Press reaction to the game was positive, citing beautiful visuals, a slow pace allowing for reflection, and historical accuracy of the content. The game was given a five star rating by Common Sense Media for its positive messages, role models and educational value.