For the last session of 2021, the Women & Non-Binary Gamers Club is joined by Creative Director Wren Brier to play Witch Beam's Unpacking, the Zen puzzle game that has taken the internet by storm.
Unpacking turns the mundanity of moving house into an extraordinary portrait of emotional vulnerability.
Part block-placing puzzle game, part house decoration game, Witch Beam Games' Unpacking is a beautiful indie game that gives the player a heart-wrenching glimpse into the life of an unseen protagonist by asking us to unpack her house, over eight different households. Played without timers, point, or lives, this beautiful, meditative title features 14,000 unique sounds, as the player finds new nooks and crannies for the protagonist's items, whether she's setting up a childhood bedroom, or finding space for herself in her first share house.
Unpacking gives its players space to explore their own decorative impulses, with its occasional gentle constraints perfectly placed to shape the unfolding narrative. As you carefully unpack the boxes in each new home, Unpacking takes the stressful experience of moving house and turns it into something reflective, gentle and moving. The game explores emotional substrata of how we exist in space, how we share it, and how it becomes part of who we are. Over so many house moves, you are given an intimate insight into a character you never see, and to learn a story you’re never directly told.
This month, the club is lucky to be joined by Unpacking's Creative Director Wren Brier, who will answer questions, talk about the development process, and maybe, if we're lucky, spill a secret or two.
Unpacking is available on Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Linux, macOS, Xbox Series X and Series S and Microsoft Windows.
About our host
Jini Maxwell
Jini Maxwell is an assistant curator at ACMI. In their spare time, they write about videogames and the people who make them. Follow them on Twitter.
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Community Code of Conduct
Everyone participating in an ACMI Women & Non-Binary Gamer Club event — including, but not limited to the meets, clubs and talks — is required to agree to the following code of conduct. This includes all attendees, speakers, performers, patrons, and volunteers.
ACMI Women & Non-Binary Gamer Club will enforce this code during its events and throughout the year. We expect cooperation from everyone to ensure a safe, diverse, and welcoming environment.
The condensed version
ACMI is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion (or lack thereof). We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form.
Sexist, racist, discriminatory, or harassing language and imagery is not appropriate in the ACMI Women & Non-Binary Gamer Club community, in person or online. Participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the event and premises, as well as all future events without a refund at the discretion of ACMI.
The less condensed version
Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.
Exception: discussion or images related to sex, pornography, discriminatory language, or similar is welcome if it meets all of the following criteria:
— It is necessary to the topic of discussion and no alternative exists
— It is presented in a respectful manner
— Attendees are respectfully given ample warning and opportunity to leave beforehand.
This exception specifically does not allow use of gratuitous sexual images as attention-getting devices or unnecessary examples.
Participants asked to stop any harassing behaviour are required to comply immediately.
If a participant engages in any of the aforementioned behaviour, ACMI may take any action they deem appropriate, from warning the offender to immediately expelling the offender with no refund.
Reporting and enforcement
If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact an ACMI Women & Non-Binary Gamer Club team member immediately. If you can’t or don’t wish to speak in person, or prefer to talk privately or electronically, contact us via gamerclub@acmi.net.au.
All reports will be handled in the strictest confidence.
With thanks
This document was based on the work of XOXO Festival, JSConf, Geek Feminism, confcodeofconduct.com, and inspired by resources provided by Ashe Dryden.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.