In video game Avowed, players are considered strangers and aggressors by the locals they encounter, as they represent an invading colonising force.
This prompts a palpable atmosphere of distrust and resentment, which translates to varied reactions from avoidance and fear, to violent hostility, animosity and disgust.
Players aren’t constrained to traditional good or evil roles, but instead navigate a unjust system as a functional representative of an oppressive power.
The challenge of the game is in succeeding at objectives, and navigating as an ‘outsider’ in a landscape of seething resentment against the invading force you represent, with associated emotions of guilt or defensiveness.
The game is an example of how interactive storytelling can challenge social norms and narratives, in this case exploring the uncomfortable role of coloniser.
