Parents' Guide to Walden, A Game

If this nature simulation had to be summed up in a single word, it would be "beautiful." Many video games are obsessed with recreating the look and feel of our real world, and impressively (in part due to the modest size of the team behind it) for the most part, this title does that. This is no small feat, as the game has to be completely idyllic for it to achieve the effect it's going for. Since you play as naturalist-philosopher and author Henry David Thoreau in his experiment in self-reliant living at Walden Pond, a core part of the game is both making sure you tend to your survival and also making sure you are feeling inspired. Although we know by now in open-world and especially survival games that we must eat and find shelter in video games, those are digital inventions. Your character in this game will eat what you've foraged automatically; instead, you need to seek out inspiration in the game, which will almost always coincide with what you as a player find riveting, refreshing, or fascinating about the world. Literally, "inspiration" is one of the stats you must monitor, which can be remedied by wandering nature, happening upon animals, or lurking at the edge of areas to see what you can see and hear.

This is counter-balanced by the more pragmatic necessities and realities of survival. You need to mend your clothes, bolster your shelter, and find odd jobs (like catching fish, chopping wood, etc.) so you can buy more supplies or, if you choose, pay your taxes. By no means is this game intended to dazzle with action -- it's more about the Zen of minimalism, the Zen of realizing and remembering you are part of bigger systems both natural and manmade, and the impacts that your hasty and thought out decisions have. Think back to the fable about the ant and the grasshopper: Will you spend the summer preparing for the winter? Or will you go off doing as you please? Either way, you'll need to leave with your choices. As such, this makes Walden a great before-bed activity. You would be hard-pressed to name another game that's more peaceful, calm, or will make you think about how you should spend more time outdoors.