“I think there’s something kind of wonderful about geekiness and physical items.”
I caught up with Brier and Dawson before the BAFTAs to discuss the game’s development.
One of the most powerful aspects of Unpacking’s narrative is that it’s almost entirely wordless.
The inspiration for that came from a song.
“There’s a song called The Bed Song by Amanda Palmer,” says Brier.
But how do you tell a story through objects?
And we let the two cross-pollinate."
Sometimes it was the game’s mechanics which informed the story, too.
“It accentuated the boyfriend’s lousiness,” Brier adds.
Oh, we make his items take up as much space as possible.
And then from that we get this story element of: ‘he didn’t make space for you’.
And people love that or hate it."
It’s not just storytelling but characterisation that’s done through simple objects.
These were organised in character profiles.
Similarly, there’s a D&D influence too, with in-game housemates playing an ongoing tabletop game.
That was something tangible that instantly solidified the connection between these characters, without explicitly showing them.
“I think there’s something kind of wonderful about geekiness and physical items,” says Brier.
But at the same, it works really well for our game.
“Not including it felt like a weird omission.
One part is that she’s an artist.
And one part is that she’s queer.
And one part is that she loves plush toys.
All of these are elements of the character and not defining characteristics.”
Dawson adds: “It shouldn’t feel like a twist.
It should feel like a development.”
Adding to that is the foley design.
Each action in the game isn’t just one sound, but a collection of multiple sounds.
With so many objects and sounds, much of development took place in spreadsheets.
What a night at@BAFTAGames!
“But no, it didn’t end up working that way, people could relate.
We get a lot of very heartfelt letters from people about their experiences with the game.”
“And then they play it themselves.
Like people will sometimes tell stories as they play.”
The game’s design was so successful that it inspired a whole host ofcopycats on mobile devicesfollowing its release.
That was more demoralising than flattering.
So you end up with this sort of hollow experience."
Unpacking, though, is anything but hollow.
It’s authentic and relatable, full of detailed craftsmanship.
To have that recognised commercially, successfully, and by BAFTA has been incredibly validating.
“This is a weird game,” says Brier.
And we were making it for us as like a little side project.
And then it just kind of exploded, as we were working on it.
“It makes me feel like I have a place in this industry.
Like there is a place for people like me, in this industry.”
