“Walden: A Game” focuses more on the entertainment side of the spectrum between historical scholarship and entertainment, but through the authentic setting and Thoreau related objects with which you interact, the developers balanced the entertainment with humanities scholarship.
The developers articulated their goals in the “about” section. In creating “Walden: A Game”, they aimed to cater to a wide range of players from gamers who enjoy playing experimental video games to Thoreau/Transcendental literature lovers and scholars. They also aimed to create a game that would allow players to experience how Thoreau lived at Walden Pond. I think that they successfully met these goals because it is a beautiful and easily playable game (even for someone who has very little video gameplay experience) that allows players to get a sense of what life was like at Walden Pond and what the landscape looked like, all while helping players learn about Thoreau and his life through the letters from his family and friends and the voice overs quotes from his writings.
