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As part of the ATLAS Institute鈥檚 third annual Whaaat!? Festival, join an interactive excursion into the world of nature and video games, led by Tracy Fullerton, game designer and creator of the award-winning,听"Walden,听a game."听 "Walden" is an exploratory narrative and simulation of the life of American philosopher Henry David Thoreau during his experiment in self-reliant living at Walden Pond.听Unlike action-packed video games, the game invites players to contemplate their natural surroundings, fostering inner calm and personal wellness.

During her online talk, Fullerton, a professor in the USC Games program at the University of Southern California and the director of the Game Innovation Lab, will discuss her design methods, encouraging participants to find inspiration in ideas and activities that have meaning to them and seeing where those ideas lead, rather than relying on standard genres and design solutions.

"It鈥檚 my hope that participants听might be inspired by a game like Walden to try and develop their own philosophical games, or games that take on new ways of thinking and being in the world," Fullerton said.

The game begins during the summer of 1845 when Thoreau moved to the pond and built a听cabin there. Players follow a听narrative of Thoreau鈥檚 first year in the woods, surviving by finding food and fuel and maintaining their shelter and clothing while听surrounded by the natural beauty of the area. Each season holds听its own challenges for survival and possibilities for inspiration,听offering听more opportunities for reflective play than strategic challenge. The game is not an adventure of the body pitted against nature, says Fullerton, but of the mind and soul living in nature over the course of a New England year.

"Because the game鈥檚 systems are built around Thoreau鈥檚 ideas of simplicity, it's听a very different kind of game," Fullerton said. "Rather than asking players to 'level up'听and seek more money or treasure, this听game asks the question, 'What if less is more in life and in games?'听In Walden, if you focus on living very simply in nature, you have time to notice the details of life in the woods and be inspired by them."

In place of the in-person, all-day annual event and due to the pandemic, the Whaaat!? Festival switched to remote programming听in September and is continuing with online events听throughout the academic year.听听Game scholars, critics, researchers, developers, designers and enthusiasts have come together online for a wide variety of events,听including John Sharp听discussing his听book, "Works of Game," and an experimental gameplay session with Paolo Pedercini from听Molleindustria.听 Besides听鈥渁mazing guests," the festival includes "secret game clubs, virtual pop-up arcades, a book club, as well as surprise swag by mail and more,鈥� says听Matt Bethancourt, an ATLAS senior instructor who coordinates the annual conference with his partner, Lisa Bethancourt, and ATLAS Instructor听Danny Rankin.听Bethancourt and Rankin co-direct the ATLAS听Whaaat!? Lab for Games and Experimental Interactions.

"The festival's goal is to feature creative and original games that break the rules, inspiring delight by forging new ways to live, interact and play," says Bethancourt. "The kind of experience that makes you say, 'Whaaat!?' "听听

Creatively adapting to the circumstances, this year festival-goers had听two ways to participate: a free festival ticket that offered access to all of the festival鈥檚 online events, including talks, livestreams, virtual arcades and game jams; or a limited number of $13 Whaaat!? Experience听subscriptions (now sold out), which included听priority registration to all the festival鈥檚 online content, plus exclusive programming delivered through physical mailings and by phone, and other secret experiences.

The Whaaat!? Festival听receives funding from CU Boulder鈥檚 Engineering Excellence Fund and the ATLAS Institute.