DGC Ep 430: Gone Home/Walking Simulators (part one)

DGC Ep 430: Gone Home/Walking Simulators (part one)

Author: Brett Douville and Tim Longo May 28, 2025 Duration: 1:17:19

Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we start a new series of explorations on the walking simulator, beginning with Gone Home. We set the game in its time, talk about possible real world experiences, and dive into its restraint and storytelling. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary.

Sections played:
All of Gone Home

Issues covered: walking simulator coverage, the wave of indies and another wave, career changes, Fullbright's early history, leaving the big industry, the value of focus, location-based entertainments and shows, focusing on one thing, having constraints vs not, setting your own constraints, the spooky atmosphere but having restraint, imposing expectations from video games, visiting a previously unknown house, the Ouija board, a literal red hair-ing, stripping out all the video game-isms for interactivity, few mechanics, simple systems and using their few mechanics and verbs, experience-forward, Brett quizzes Tim, narrative richness, the ordering of collectible reading, leveraging non-linear storytelling, using period-appropriate communication, games that make Tim cry, the 90s of it all, letters vs email, waste paper baskets, a visual language and the use of consistency. 

Games, people, and influences mentioned or discussed: Death Stranding, Dear Esther, Firewatch, BioShock Infinite, Batman: Arkham Origins, GTA V, Tomb Raider (2013), Dead Rising 3, Dead Space 3, LoZ: A Link Between Worlds, The Last of Us, Beyond: Two Souls, AC IV: Black Flag, Rayman Legends, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Battlefield IV, Payday 2, Outlast, Antichamber, The Stanley Parable, Papers Please, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Starbreeze, Josef Fares, Hazelight Studios, It Takes Two, LucasArts, Clair Obscure: Expedition 33, Blue Prince, Animal Well, Balatro, 343 Studios, BioStats, Calamity Nolan, Tacoma, Indie Game: The Movie, Minerva's Den, Bioshock, Kate Craig, Carl Lumbly, 2K Marin, Hangar 13, Fallout: New Vegas, Morrowind, Sleep No More, Macbeth, Antenna Theater, Meow Wolf, George RR Martin, Control, Imagineering, Disney, Fez, X-Files, Resident Evil, Amnesia, Life Is Strange, Leaves of Grass, Hollow Knight, Pulp Fiction, Final Fantasy IX, Shadow of the Colossus, The Last of Us 2, Alien, Kirk Hamilton, Aaron Evers, Mark Garcia. 

Next time:
Dear Esther (2012)

Links:
Why Is Gone Home A Game?

Twitch: timlongojr https://twitch.tv/timlongojr
Discord https://t.co/h7jnG9J9lz
DevGameClub@gmail.com mailto://devgameclub@gmail.com


Dev Game Club is a conversation between two working game developers who have been there. Each week, hosts Brett Douville and Tim Longo pick a classic video game from the past-often a title that shaped design thinking or introduced a new technical standard-and break it down from their professional perspective. Their discussions go beyond nostalgia, examining how these older titles functioned, why certain creative decisions were made, and what lasting impact they left on the industry. You’ll hear specific analysis of game mechanics, narrative structure, and technical achievements, all filtered through decades of hands-on development experience. The goal isn’t just to reminisce but to extract tangible lessons that are still relevant for creators and deeply interesting for passionate players today. They invite you to play the game in question alongside them, then settle in for a detailed, insider’s post-mortem. This podcast offers a unique blend of critical appreciation and practical insight, treating video game history as a living textbook. It’s for anyone who loves games and wants to understand the craft behind them on a deeper level. New episodes release regularly, diving into a different influential game from the archives.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Dev Game Club
Podcast Episodes
DGC Ep 431: Dear Esther/Walking Simulators (part two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:28
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we continue our series on walking simulators with 2012's Dear Esther, played here in a 2017 "Landmark Edition" but based on a 2007 Source mod for Half-Life 2. We of course set th…
DGC Ep 429: Fez (part four) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:21:54
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we complete our series on Fez. We talk about getting to New Game +, some favorite puzzles or mechanics, and then turn to our takeaways. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games…
Discord Game Club Ep 8 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:44:04
Tim had some unscheduled travel come up this week and so we were unable to work around that and instead reach into the Discord Game Club interview archive. This time around, BioStats and Calamity Nolan interview Michael…
DGC Ep 428: Fez (part three) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:54
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we continue our series on 2012's Fez, looking at coming back to a puzzle game and perception in its many forms, among other topics. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and…
DGC Ep 427: Interstate '76 Interview with Sean Vesce and Zack Norman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:45
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we return with a bonus interview for our series on Interstate '76. We talk about shipping the game's predecessor, pulling together, and making something new. Dev Game Club looks…
DGC Ep 426: Fez (part two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:05
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we continue our series on Fez. We talk about its platforming and how it fits to taste, game style, and rule escalation. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays throu…
DGC Ep 425: Fez (part one) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:26
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we begin a new series of series on the independent games of the last couple of decades, starting with 2012's Fez. We set the game in its time, talk a bit about its precedents and…
DGC Ep 424: Interstate '76 (part three) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:22
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we sadly conclude our series on Interstate '76. Poor Tim could not really play the game at all, so we're going to have to let this one go, but we'll still talk about a few things…
DGC Ep 423: Interstate '76 (part two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:08
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we continue our series on 1997's Interstate '76. We talk about physics again, mission design, input, and other topics. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays throug…
DGC Ep 422: Interstate '76 (part one) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:00
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we begin a new series on 1997's Interstate '76. We set the game a bit in its time, talk about Activision (almost as an afterthought), and then start getting into the characters a…