Walking Simulator

Submission 26,022

About

Walking Simulator is a sometimes-derogatory slang term for a type of video game in which the gameplay consists mostly of a player moving around an area in a first-person perspective while a narrative unfolds based on their actions or ability to complete simple puzzles. The term has been used negatively by some gamers and critics to describe these games as not true "games," while some critics have praised the genre for its ability to present compelling stories in a new way.

Origin

One of the first games in the "Walking Simulator" genre was 2009's The Path,^[1] an indie-horror game loosely based on the folk tale "Little Red Riding Hood" (trailer shown below, left). In the game, players play as girls exploring a forest and discover what lies within. Killscreen^[2] cites the term growing in popularity due the critical success of the 2012 indie game Dear Esther in which a story is told via voiceover while the player walks along a beach (trailer shown below, right).

Spread

On April 17th, 2014, the first definition for "Walking Simulator" was submitted to Urban Dictionary, citing DayZ as the first Walking Simulator game (shown below).^[3]

Other popular games cited as "walking simulators" include Gone Home (2013), Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture (2015), Firewatch (2016), The Stanley Parable (2013), and Proteus (2013). The term has been a subject of critical debate in the gaming community as some critics have bashed the genre for not including much in the way of challenging gameplay, while others have defended them for not being traditional games but rather more like exploration puzzle-boxes.^[9] Critic Jim Sterling summed up the debate in a video on the genre in 2015, saying games in the genre need to stand on their own merits. He said that if a "Walking Simulator" is done well, it should not be brushed off by derogatory sneers from so-called "hardcore games," and if it's done poorly, it cannot be saved by "preening art critics."

In 2016, Killscreen^[2] posted a debate on the use of the term "walking simulator" between several of its writers and game designers within the genre, with contributors writing "for," "against," and "neither" opinions regarding the term. In the "for" column, game developer Tyler Owen wrote:

Everyone already knows what “walking simulator” means in reference to videogames. I’d rather co-opt the term and use it positively than try to convince a subset of gamers to stop using it negatively.

In the "against" column, developer Robyn Miller wrote:

These so-called “walking games” typically have narratives, puzzles, characters, staging, visual design, music. The game creators combine these elements and more in complex and creative ways to create entertaining and thought-provoking experiences. Yes, as you play, you walk (maybe). But you also become the main character in another reality--another world. Focusing on the walking seems besides the point.

The debate has also been covered by several media outlets, including Salon,^[4] Polygon,^[5] and Game Skinny.^[6] Media outlets also have ranked so-called Walking Simulators in recommendation lists for consumers.^[7]^[8]

Death Stranding Is a Walking Simulator

Following the release of Hideo Kojima's video game Death Stranding in November 2019, the game was compared to a walking simulator both in press and in memes (examples shown below).^[10]^[11] Additionally, on Steam, "walking simulator" became the most popular user tag for the game.^[12]