The Average Everyday Adventures Of Samantha Browne Is About Anxiety & Making Oatmeal
Get it free this Tuesday
Besides having a particularly long title, The Average Everyday Adventures of Samantha Browne [official site] is a narrative game about an introverted college student who suffers from social anxiety and finds great challenge in even the most straightforward of tasks. It's the debut venture of Californian outfit Lemonsucker Games and although not due to release until this Tuesday (for free), it has a new trailer. Come see below.
In fact, I'm sure this is the first time many of you are hearing of The Average Everyday Adventures of Samantha Browne, so let's start with this one:
And for those who prefer the written word, the above trailer explains:
"There was once a girl named Samantha, who lived in remote dorm, at a remote university, in a remote part of the country. Normally, this suited her just fine - but tonight she needs your help.
"Help Sam as she embarks on a mission to make oatmeal in the communal kitchen of her dorm. Make the wrong choices and her hunger meter will lead you to devastating consequences. Succeed, and you will help Samantha in more ways than one."
Conceived in mid-2015, The Average Everyday Adventures of Samantha Browne aims to tell the titular protagonist's story by focusing on the everyday issues faced by someone dealing with social anxiety. It hopes to explore the mundanity of life from the lead character's perspective and, by choosing text options, asks that players adapt to how Samantha thinks and processes the world around her. "Trouble is, helping Sam isn’t always easy," reads the game's blurb, which should make for some interesting and enlightening outcomes.
According to the Mental Health Foundation, there were 8.2 million recorded cases of anxiety in 2013, yet issues of mental health are something we - for whatever reason - inherently struggle to discuss as a society. If videogames like this can help initiate a discourse, or help educate those unaware of such issues then I'm all for it. Plus, The Average Everyday Adventures of Samantha Browne is free when it lands on Steam and Itch on Tuesday, so why not pick it up?
Until then, here's the latest, live-action short: