Never Alone is a video game that was introduced to me through a reading in ETEC 565S – Digital Games, Learning and Pedagogy. The reading is called “Agniq Suaŋŋaktuq and Kisima Inŋitchuŋa (Never Alone) – ‘Cause Gaia Likes it Cold’” by Kateryna Barnes (2020), and describes the game: “Kisima Inŋitchuŋa (Never Alone) is a side-scrolling, cooperative adventure-puzzle game set in the Iñupiaq landscape amidst a blizzard. Players are placed into the northern setting as a young girl, Nuna, and an arctic fox. The duo embark on an adventure to solve the mystery of the destruction of Nuna’s village”.
Intrigued by its full description in Barnes (2020), I bought Never Alone game on my Android phone. I played this game on the original Google Pixel (older technology at the time), and because of the stunning graphics and the intense gameplay my phone would often overheat. Nevertheless, I would push on as the character, Nuna through the frozen arctic setting, as well as switching to the arctic fox companion, who acts as Nuna’s guide along with other characters such as elders, villains, spirits and the land itself. As you finish levels you are told a story about time and place in the Arctic. It’s the first game since Ecco the Dolphin (1992) for the Sega Genesis that I have played that has given me a sense of awe with its ability to provide the user with visceral experiences of land, sea and sky. Although I see much digital technology lacking in its ability to truly represent Indigenous culture and tradition because it can only truly offer audio and visual recordings or display, Never Alone is able to portray a sense of spirituality, and connection to its digital landscape and its beings.
Reference
Barnes, K. (2020, September 18). Agniq Suaŋŋaktuq and Kisima Inŋitchuŋa (Never Alone) – First Person Scholar. First Person Scholar – Weekly critical essays, commentaries, and book reviews on games. http://www.firstpersonscholar.com/agniq-suannaktuq-and-kisima-innitchuna-never-alone/