USC GAME INNOVATION LAB’S WALDEN, A GAME WINS TOP HONORS AT GAMES FOR CHANGE AWARDS
Narrative exploration adventure takes home Game of the Year and Most Significant Impact awards
NEW YORK – Aug. 1, 2017 – Walden, a game, USC Game Innovation Lab’s open world narrative adventure title based on Henry David Thoreau’s experience at Walden Pond, has won two awards – Game of the Year and Most Significant Impact – at this year’s Games for Change Festival.
“Walden, a game was a true labor of love in the making, and so it’s such an honor for the entire team to witness this incredible reception from the Games for Change community, which has always meant so much to us,” said director Tracy Fullerton, who was present yesterday to accept both awards. “This game would not have been possible without the support of our passionate community, as well as our amazing partners at the NEH, NEA and Sundance Institute.”
An adaptation of Walden, Thoreau’s classic book about an experiment in self-reliant living, Walden, a game follows the philosopher’s footsteps as he survives on the fruits of his labor through the shifting seasons of New England’s Walden Pond. Players build their own shelter, grow food and fish, and discover the wildlife, terrain and people surrounding the woods while reflecting on life, nature and more through Thoreau’s meditative writings, voiced by actor Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild).
The game was developed by Tracy Fullerton and her team with funding provided by the NEH, NEA and Sundance Institute. It is currently on exhibit at the Concord Museum near Walden Pond as part of the 2017 Thoreau Bicentennial celebration.
Walden, a game is available now on Windows PC and Mac at WaldenGame.com and GameInnovationLab.itch.io/Walden for $18.45. It is currently in development for consoles, as well.
About Tracy Fullerton and the USC Game Innovation Lab
Tracy Fullerton is an experimental game designer, professor and director of the USC Game Innovation Lab. Her research center, the Game Innovation Lab, has produced several influential independent games, including Cloud, flOw, Darfur is Dying, The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom, and The Night Journey, with artist Bill Viola.
Tracy is the author of Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games, a design textbook used at game programs worldwide, and holder of the Electronic Arts Endowed Chair in Interactive Entertainment. Prior to USC, she designed games for companies including Microsoft, Sony and MTV, among many others. Tracy’s work has received numerous honors, including an Emmy nomination for interactive television, IndieCade’s “Sublime Experience,” “Impact,” and “Trailblazer” awards, Games for Change “Game Changer” award, the Game Developer’s Choice Ambassador Award and Time Magazine’s Best of the Web. www.gameinnovationlab.com
