The return of an old favorite: IG Game Club. Join our discussion of narrative adventure What Remains of Edith Finch on January 29th, 2019 at 6p Pacific.
Last week, I announced the beginning of Intelligame Reads, a monthly book club for the IG community. We’ve gotten some fantastic responses to the news, but also a question: “What about the games?” Well, don’t you worry: IG Game Club is back.
In late 2017, Intelligame Game Club was launched to provide a space for the IG community to share critical discussion with each other. We focused on shorter, narrative-focused experiences like Firewatch and Never Alone, talking via voice and text chat. This month, the IGGC comes back by tackling a critically-acclaimed narrative adventure: What Remains of Edith Finch.
Why “What Remains of Edith Finch?”
A few months ago, I was up late with the rest of the IG team. When the discussion turned to Edith Finch and I revealed I hadn’t played it, it was a record scratch moment. You know, the ones that happen in movies where the music stops and everyone stares at the offender? Even though What Remains of Edith Finch appeared on many Game of the Year lists and won numerous awards, including the BAFTA for Best Game last year, I’d never managed to prioritize it. After some cajoling, I finally committed to sitting down with the experience.
What Remains of Edith Finch blends fantasy with reality, creating a truly unique storytelling experience. Edith, the main character, returns to her childhood home to revisit her youth and the stories of her family that both lived and died there. It’s a game about the power of family, and even more about the power of the stories that guide our lives. The game also has a truly beautiful world, inspiring a visual exploration created by the IG Video team.
Stories are the threads that run between lives. They tie us to each other, to interpretations of the past and visions of the future. When those stories come from people we consider family, those threads become even stronger: how many people enlist in military service because of family ties? Run the family business, or perhaps run from it? Through a series of vignettes, What Remains of Edith Finch brings all these discussions to life and more.
(Content Warnings: This game includes references to suicide and child death.)
How do I join IG Game Club?
There’s no formalized process: all you have to do is play the game and come to the discussion! What Remains of Edith Finch is available on Playstation 4, XBox One, and PC (it’s currently free on the Epic Games Store until the 24th). Play it at your own pace, then join us at twitch.tv/intelligameus on January 29th at 6p Pacific. Each IG Game Club meeting afterwards will take place on the 3rd Monday of the month.
Up until the Game Club meeting, we’ll talk about the game in the Intelligame Discord. A chat server especially for the Intelligame community, there’s a channel called #game-club for discussion. Please be wary of spoilers!
The Game Club meeting itself will be livestreamed and open to the public. If you support Intelligame on Patreon, you can join the voice chat for the discussion as well via Discord! Even if you’re not a Patron though, you can submit questions and comments via Twitch chat. Over the course of the stream, we’ll discuss characters, plot, themes, and other topics as they arise. Follow Intelligame on Twitch to get notified when we go live (for this and other streams, too)!
Hope you decide to join us! Come hop into the Discord for discussion, and we’ll see you on the 29th!