Gaming Together: The Communal Journey in Upper One Games’ <i>Never Alone</i>

Abstract

This paper examines Upper One Games’ Never Alone , or Kisima Inŋitchuŋa , as an aesthetic expression of cultural pride, communal engagement, and broader collectivity. The game, developed in conjunction with the Cook Inlet Tribal Council, a non-profit indigenous organization working in Alaska, tells the story of Inupiat girl Nuna. Along with her Arctic fox companion, she leaves her village to seek the source of a blizzard that ravages her tribe’s community. The basic elements of the plot stem from the ancient Inupiat myth “Kunuuksaayuka”. In addition to these mythological elements, there are video interviews with members of the Inupiat throughout the game in which they provide players with information about the tribe’s customs, traditions, and relationship with the land. Nuna’s expedition and the cultural material surrounding it demonstrate the vitality of the Inupiat and encourage relationships with the community. The game’s themes of survival and communal responsibility reflect the Inupiat’s experiences in contemporary Alaska and cultural values. Beyond the expression of Inupiat culture within Never Alone ’s basic structure, cooperative play mode, in which one player plays as Nuna and another plays as the fox, allows for a particularly powerful experience of togetherness. Their journey combines folkloric material with the formal capacities of video games to engage audiences with cultural traditions and practices. Never Alone is a vital artistic contribution to awareness and collectivity within and beyond the Inupiat community.