Over the past five years Dundee City has been one of the council areas with the highest suicide rate in the whole of Scotland. The game takes place on a walk over the Tay Road Bridge, which is an infamous local landmark for those seeking to take their life.
The Longest Walk is a deeply personal biographical documentary walking simulator game about my father’s experience of living with depression and suicidal thoughts. The game was created using audio recorded from a 54-minute-long interview that I conducted with my dad, which was then edited into this approximately 9-and-a-half minute long playable experience.
The aim for this game is to help reduce feelings of isolation and encourage those who are struggling with depression or experiencing suicidal thoughts to reach out for help. Through my father’s sharing of his personal experience in an open and frank manner, this documentary game aims to raise awareness of and provide an insight into what it is like living with depression in order to provoke discussion and help tackle the stigma about opening-up about mental health issues.
Whilst my father’s experience and the locations depicted in the game are specific to him, the thoughts, feelings, and message conveyed through his recollection of lived experience are universal.
This free documentary game is part of a series of biographical game prototypes that I am developing for my PhD at Abertay University – Funded by The Northwood Charitable Trust – and was inspired by games such as Dear Esther (The Chinese Room), Actual Sunlight (WZOGI), and That Dragon, Cancer (Numinous Games). This game is published under the Abertay Game Lab practice-based research group.