Games now appeal to many cultures, genders, and ages, as well as an emerging ‘indie’ crowd who enjoy the relaxing and calming gameplay of smaller titles. Nick Gieren brings up the diverse audience of gamers that didn’t exist 20–30 years ago. By trying to reach a ‘core’ gamer group, developers are restrained in narratives, mechanics, and ‘catch-all’ gameplay in order to hit monetary targets. Indie games are a shift away from the ‘core audience’ of gamers that Nick defines as the AAA crowd that focuses on ‘occidental males between 14–21’. We grew up playing games in the 80s and 90s, some of us are entering our 40s and even have kids. The deep discussions and exciting nostalgia are usually with gamers my age that are in their 30s. People who identify as ‘gamers’ are getting older, and as much as I hate to admit it, it’s true. In a recent interview on Origin Stories Podcast, Nick Gieren, the creative director behind Spiritfarer, discussed his opinions on the shift in the industry. Spiritfarer’s theme centers around hospice care, death, and the afterlife, themes rarely touched in video games. Challenging narratives for changing audiences The pastel palate opens your imagination to far-off places, untouched by human hands. Stunning backdrops of the Japanese countryside feel like freshly painted watercolors and have a calming and serene effect. The art style has a mystical Studio Ghibli feel, inspired by painters Hiroshi Yoshida and Hayao Miyazaki. And as in most sim games, we build relationships with characters and perform tasks for them. This game also includes light platforming across the backs of dragons, and double jumping or gliding through mini-games. The sim aspects include farming, cooking, fishing, mining, smelting, and general resource gathering. ( Note: Daffodil can be played as a second player in splitscreen co-op or online). You play as Stella along with her cat Daffodil, tasked by Charon to takeover his harrowing duties of accompanying spirits to the Everdoor to pass on. The Kitchen Upgrade blueprint can only be acquired by advancing Atul’s questline.S piritfarer, from Thunder Lotus Games, is described as ‘a cozy management sim about death’.
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