TALKING THE WALK

If the term ‘walking simulator’ was initially meant as a pejorative, it quickly lost its sting. “Now, it’s just a funny term we have,” Dallas says. “It’s nice that it’s a term a lot of people are familiar with, which implies that it’s become part of the cultural landscape.” Whether it’s an accurate descriptor or not remains up for debate – as Dallas points out, it’s not an especially welcoming or appealing genre tag for those not already familiar – but it does have its uses. “Genre is a useful tool for players to find the games they like and to avoid the games they don’t,” Pinchbeck says. He thinks, though, the phrase has lost its relevance over the years: “It’s probably more useful as a historical term than anything else.”