Gamasutra - How Gone Home's design constraints lead to a powerful story
As a story and an experience, Gone Home is incredibly subtle, delicate as old paper or an electric filament. As a work of game design it’s equally so, the product of a small team with a heritage of big-budget environmental design stripping down to the heart of what its members have always wanted to do with their work.
The Fullbright Company’s Steve Gaynor long worked on the BioShock franchise, and most famously led the Minerva’s Den DLC for BioShock 2 - known for its strong story, carefully paced and told through discoveries in the game world. But in 2012 he went indie, picking up sticks and returning to his hometown of Portland, asking colleagues Johnnemann Nordhagen and Karla Zimonja to take a leap of faith with him. They all moved into one big house, and began a journey to answer a curious question: What would environmental storytelling in games be without the big budget, without combat, or a climactic boss battle?
A pretty personal experience, as it turns out. The game needs playing: Even small details of the story might spoil it. So much of Gone Home’s significant magic involves going in with certain expectations or curiosities, and then slowly learning about everything it has the bravery and restraint not to be, not to do.
via Gamasutra - How Gone Home's design constraints lead to a powerful story.