Never Alone offers real lessons in a virtual world

Video games rarely give players lessons that can be applied outside their virtual worlds. Instead, they tend to default to power fantasies that do little to help us understand the world and the people around us. Never Alone, a new puzzle platforming game, bucks that trend by giving players a window into the culture and values of real people in the real world, spotlighting a group long marginalized and ignored.

Modernity has not been kind to Alaska’s Inuit people groups. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Inuit children were forced into boarding schools in which they were punished for speaking their tribal languages because it was seen as a detriment to learning and adopting Western values. Amy Fredeen, CFO and executive vice president of the Cook Inlet Tribal Council, a not-for-profit group serving the Iñupiaq and other Alaskan tribes, said in an interview the boarding schools trained Iñupiaq children “to be ashamed of their culture.”So Fredeen and other Iñupiaq leaders began looking for innovative ways to teach young tribe members about their heritage. Eventually, the council partnered with E-Line Media and Upper One Games to create Never Alone, the first video game featuring Native-American characters and storyline.

Never Alone puts players in control of Nuna, an Iñupiaq girl, and her pet fox. The pair set out on a quest to put an end to a blizzard that has been plaguing their village. The game is best played with a friend because each can control one of the two characters. But it also can be played alone, allowing players to switch between Nuna and the fox.

On the surface, Never Alone functions like a standard puzzle platformer game, similar to Limbo or Braid, only with simpler puzzles. The game distinguishes itself from other puzzle platformers with its optional “Cultural Insights,”videos that players unlock as they progress. The videos are mini-documentaries in which various Iñupiaq people, including elders and storytellers, talk about their values, religion, and experiences growing up in one of the world’s harshest climates—the northernmost part of Alaska.

I worried the videos would detract from the gaming experience because they neglect what makes video games unique: interactivity. But I made a point to watch each one as soon as I unlocked it. Despite my skepticism, what I found not only deepened my appreciation for one of the world’s most resilient people groups but also my appreciation for the game itself.

In one video, several elders talk about their deep respect for “sila”an Inupiaq word used to refer to weather or atmosphere. Soon after watching the video, I was introduced to the game’s wind mechanic, in which I had to learn both to guard against and utilize strong winds in order to progress. In another video, an Inupiaq man tells the story of how he and his father once found themselves stranded on a floating block of ice while fishing on the coast. Immediately afterward, I was confronted with a level in which I had to lead Nuna through dangerous coastal ice conditions. Other videos cover Inupiaq hunting and music, each of which I found represented in Never Alone’s gameplay. The more I watched the videos and played the levels that followed, the more deeply I cared for Nuna, the world of Never Alone, and the people they represent.

Christians will certainly disagree with the Inupiaq people’s religion as it is presented in Never Alone. In several of the videos, Inupiaq elders seem to worship “sila”or view God and “sila”as one. But Never Alone does not promote Inupiaq religion so much as it accurately represents it. While video games often stereotype marginalized people, Never Alone helps players to see Inupiaq people as they truly are—amazing people made in God’s image with a rich culture worthy of preservation. Never Alone reminded me that I serve a God who loves and has a plan for people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. (Acts 1:8; Rev.elation 7:9)