It’s been some time sinceUnpackingfirst got released by indie developer Witch Beam, but the surprisingly simple yet elegant tale of an individual going through childhood, higher education, and all the way up to family life is still the game’s best aspect and the reason behind it amassing plenty of awards. Out of all theindie gamesreleased in 2021,Unpackinghas continued to dominate the gaming scene throughout 2022 picking up more nominations and awards as a testament to its success, earning recognition and awards from the likes of D.I.C.E., BAFTA, and Gayming Magazine.
WhileUnpackinghas been nominated and awardedacross the board from game design to audio, it has been widely recognized most for its narrative. At first glance, the story seems straightforward, but through the clever environmental storytellingUnpackingemploys, players are invited to explore this person’s life and come to their own realizations. It is within the simplistic and ordinary that deeper meanings are found, and arguably this wasUnpacking’ssecret weapon and an excellent game to play in order to celebrate Pride this year.
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Unpacking The Story
Unpackingoverall is not actually that long of a game. Comprised of just 8 stages, it’s “length” stems more from the time taken per each stage the further into the game the player gets, as gradually they have more items to unpack and challenging spaces to navigate in order to accommodate everything correctly. It’s a brilliant reflection of life in general, as the older one gets the more possessions they accumulate, ultimately clashing with their partners when sharing living spaces. Some players were fixated onUnpacking’slength, but many argue that the point of the game is less about “winning” by traditional game standards, and more about the catharsis of the ordinary, slowly understanding someone else’s life book by book, shirt by shirt, and photo by photo.
The basic premise ofUnpackingis following the life of an individual as they make their way through life from early childhood through to their family home with their partner. It’s a genius take on game design, as naturally the younger someone is, the less likely they are to have things to unpack with just a sole bedroom to themselves, and the older someone is, the larger the space one lives in with even more items to unpack, from clothes to furniture. Each stage brings something new to the table, such as moving in with a new partner or moving back home after breaking up, all expertly told through environmental storytelling, whether it’s by the framed degree certificate getting pushed under the bed instead of proudly hung for display to making sure a photo is hidden away, making sure that with it out of sight, it’s out of mind.
Normalizing Queer Relationships
It’s inUnpacking’ssecond half that the player can begin to see the signs that the person they’ve been unpacking for might actually bebisexual or pansexual, from a failed relationship with a guy prior in the game to subtle rainbow clothing that suggest maybe there’s more to the character than first thought. By the second to last stage of the game for the first time the player unpacks somebody else’s belongings, and without ceremony or spectacle it’s easily discerned that it’s the belongings of another woman who is involved with the main character since they share the master bedroom. Better yet, in the last stage, as this couple moves into their family home, it’s confirmed that now they have a baby together and are planning the rest of their family life with child in tow.
Several years ago, this might have been something that would get people talking. An unapologetically queer-coded main character whose sexuality is not made to be the core focus of their identity was once upon a time a rare thing to see in video games. While titles such asLife is StrangeorTell Me Whymake gender identity and sexuality important parts of their stories, it’s vital that games such asUnpackingwalk the middle ground between everything else to just present a wholly ordinary and typical lived experience.
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The Pride Of Unpacking
At its core, this iswhat makesUnpackingsuch a memorable and recognition-worthy game. It’s not a high-octane action-adventure title that’s delivering the player a sprawling epic tale across a vast open world, and nor is it an indie game determined to revamp the gaming scene. It’s a game based on a very ordinary activity, about a very ordinary life, and promising nothing more than telling a very ordinary story, and that’s what made the game important. Queer characters and relationships should be ordinary, and it should be celebrated that games likeUnpackingare making an effort to present such lives as ordinary. The more games that are likeUnpacking, with more developers who share in the studio’s values and attitudes, and the more players who support similar games, then the industry can begin to follow suit.
Representation is important in all media formats, and video games have always tried to keep pace with changing times but with mixed results, whether it’sBirdo’s possible trans identity canon, the problematic Mr Gold and Mr Silver out ofGod HandorThe Last of Usdelighting queer players through Ellie. That’s why acknowledging the contributions of queer game designers and their games is as much worthy of contribution to Pride each year as everything else that goes on in pop culture. With more games likeUnpackinghelping to normalize and present stories that have queer characters with families and partners, it can only be a net positive for all. Perhaps Witch Beam might follow up with a sequel to its award-winning game that can help to further normalize and showcase the life of a child growing up with queer parents, and how equally ordinary their lives will be.
Unpackingis out now for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox One.
