A downloadable biographical game for Windows

~Press Kit~

- About -

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.



- Trigger Warning -

The following game discusses themes of depression and suicidal intent which some players may find distressing. If you or a loved one are feeling depressed or experiencing suicidal thoughts please contact Samaritans.org.


- Controls -

Keyboard & Mouse

W, A, S, D - Walk Forward, Left, Backward, Right

Mouse - Look Around

ESC - Quit


Gamepad

Left Analogue Stick - Walk Around

Right Analogue Stick - Look Around

Invert Y Axis - Hold LB (L1) and tap RB (R1) on the gamepad.

Start - Quit


- Socials -

Twitter - @alexandertarvet

LinkedIn - alexandertarvet

Website - www.alexanderjamestarvet.com


Download

Download
TheLongestWalk.zip 303 MB

Install instructions

  1. Extract TheLongestWalk.zip
  2. Open TheLongestWalk folder
  3. Open the WindowsNoEditor folder
  4. Double-click the TheLongestWalk application to launch.

Development log

Comments

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(+1)

Wow, just.. wow, this game is really impactful. this deserves more attention for this amazing game, but that's probably not what the creators intended for said game. However, this doesn't, feel, like a game, this feels like an outlet for something, this feels like help or support in anyway they possibly can, with opening up about mental health, which is a steadily growing issue with the new generation. This is a masterpiece, a perfectly mixed concoction of feelings of support and story. I wish you the very best.

(+1)

Thank you for this amazing game!
If you want, you can check my full game playthrough here:

(+1)

long

(+1)

Saaaandy, what a beautiful piece 😍

Thanks Adam! ☺️

(+1)

This was very deep and emotional

(+2)

This game really talks about depression well, his voice was relaxing and this game left me staring at my screen after it ended. Leaving me in thoughts of hope- Hope that one day I too can get better

(+1)

😊👍
(+1)

This game was so deep and the visuals were amazing. You did an amazing job at expressing what it is like to live with depression. Great job! 

(+1)

This was really cool with such a deep meaning.

Looked and played extremely well with great audio.

Well made and well done.

(+1)

More than a short walking simulator.

(+1)

Great art work. Nice contemplation and atmospherci enviroment. Really impressive. 

(+3)

This is such a good piece of work, the fragmentary style of those roadside environments looks very special and vividly expresses the feeling of a depressed person.

(+1)

Hello friend, I have enjoyed your game a lot, it seems very innovative, good sound, I want you to help me by subscribing to my YouTube channel, greetings to all...

(+3)

Thank you for the experience.

Have a good one.

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deep story