Ted and Molly are together. Ted feels a connection to Molly wherever he looks. But, how do they both really see the relationship? See each other? “Thing-in-Itself” is an interactive short story about the struggles of understanding another human being. Using Immanuel Kant’s concept as a framework, it leads the player through stages of a relationship, exploring how perceptions may clash and surroundings can alter. With an average walkthrough time of 15 minutes, “Thing-in-Itself” is not a game in a traditional sense – it doesn’t have win or lose conditions and doesn’t present challenge to the player. With this project, Party for Introverts attempts to establish a connection between the mediums of game and short story, reworking the possibilities when narrative and interactivity merge.
