Video Game Book Club: Return of the Obra Dinn

It's a game of deduction and murder and 1-bit colors — and a poster child for solo game development.

In our Video Game Book Club series, we pick a game—sometimes popular, sometimes not—that is worth a closer look. Just like a typical book club, bring all your thoughts and opinions to the table and we'll hold an open discussion. We'll discuss the individual game, but also seek out larger truths about game design in general.

You don't need to have finished the game to be a part of the discussion! This time we will also be talking about the 2018 game Return of the Obra Dinn. A game most of you will be able to finish in a weekend. Find it on Steam or anywhere else games are sold.

Here are some questions to get you started:

• How does deduction work as a game mechanic? What are some other games which feature deduction?
• Could Return of the Obra Dinn have been made by a large game company? Why or why not?
• How did developer Lucas Pope's design decisions make his game seem larger than it is?

The event will take place in a meeting room at Publik Coffee on West Temple. Please note that this is not the Publik in the Avenues or by the U. The meeting room is upstairs, on the side of the building furthest from the staircase. We have 2 hours reserved, so even if you can't make it on time feel free to join us at any point.

The room seats about 10-12 comfortably, but it starts to get crowded beyond that. I'm going to cap the attendees at 18 just to make sure we're not crammed in like sardines. Please don't RSVP unless you see yourself realistically attending, and please update your RSVP if you later decide not to go.

If you can't make it but want to carry on the conversation digitally, be sure to join our Discord server!