Chicago Gamespace, Chicago, IL

Step aboard a journey through mystery, innovation, and the evolution of interactive storytelling at Chicago Gamespace, running November 7, 2025 – April 24, 2026. The exhibition showcases landmark narrative games that transformed how stories are told through play—from Zork’s pioneering text adventures and Phantasmagoria’s cinematic horror to The Last Express’ real-time intrigue aboard the Orient Express and Return of the Obra Dinn’s haunting detective logic. Completing the lineup, Uncover the Smoking Gun (2024) by ReLU Games, Inc. brings the tradition of narrative experimentation into the near future, exploring truth, technology, and identity in a world shared by humans and AI. Together, these works chart nearly fifty years of storytelling innovation, inviting visitors to experience how interactivity reshapes the art of narrative itself.

Chicago Public Library Wicker Park Bucktown Branch, Chicago, IL

Explore the intersection of truth, technology, and perception at the Chicago Public Library, Wicker Park/Bucktown Branch, from November 7, 2025 – April 24, 2026. Mind Faux (2025), created by Keisha Howard, Sugar Gamers Labs, and Pixels2Pixels, is a thought-provoking interactive work-in-progress that turns media literacy into an immersive puzzle experience. Through escape-room–style gameplay and augmented reality, players and viewers are challenged to uncover manipulation tactics and question what’s real amid layers of distortion and control. Visitors can scan the images on display to see misinformation come to life—revealing how easily persuasion can shape perception in the digital age.

Japanese Art Foundation, Chicago, IL

Experience the harmony of myth, art, and play at the Japanese Art Foundation with Ōkami (2006), the acclaimed masterpiece by Hideki Kamiya and Clover Studio. Set in a mythic reimagining of classical Japan, Ōkami invites players to embody the sun goddess Amaterasu, restoring beauty and balance to a world shrouded in darkness. With its luminous sumi-e–inspired visuals and the innovative “Celestial Brush” mechanic, where painted gestures bring miracles to life, the game transcends entertainment—becoming a living canvas where storytelling, spirituality, and artistic expression merge.

WSCC Manierre Dawson Gallery Scottville, MI

From November 7, 2025 – April 24, 2026, the WSCC Manierre Dawson Gallery presents an exhibition exploring how games can express vulnerability, empathy, and the emotional depth of human experience. Featuring Depression Quest (2013) by Zoë Quinn, Bitter Pills (2015) by Adrienne Ciskey, Mediterranea Inferno (2023) by Santa Ragione, and Lieve Oma (2016) by Florian Veltmann, the collection highlights personal and psychological storytelling across digital and physical forms. Through subjects ranging from mental health and chronic illness to friendship and family, these works demonstrate how play can become a language for understanding—and feeling—the complexities of ordinary and inner life.

WSCC William M. Anderson Library, Scottville, MI

At the WSCC Anderson Library, from November 7, 2025 – April 24, 2026, experience When Rivers Were Trails (2019), a groundbreaking narrative adventure created by Elizabeth LaPensée in collaboration with the Indian Land Tenure Foundation and Michigan State University’s GEL Lab. Set in the 1890s, the game follows an Anishinaabeg traveler displaced from their homeland, journeying west across lands reshaped by colonization. Developed with contributions from over thirty Indigenous writers, artists, and musicians, When Rivers Were Trails offers a powerful, living story of resilience and connection—centering Indigenous voices and perspectives often left untold in gaming and history alike.

Mason County District Library, Ludington, MI

From November 7, 2025 – April 24, 2026, the Mason County Public Library, Ludington Branch invites visitors to explore Walden, a game (2017), created by Tracy Fullerton and the University of Southern California Game Innovation Lab. Inspired by Henry David Thoreau’s classic reflection on solitude and simplicity, this contemplative open-world experience invites players to live deliberately—balancing the practical rhythms of survival with the quiet pursuit of insight and inspiration. Through its meditative design and natural setting, Walden, a game transforms Thoreau’s 19th-century philosophy into an interactive exploration of mindfulness, nature, and the art of slowing down.

Mason County Historical Society, Ludington, MI

From November 7, 2025 – April 24, 2026, the Mason County Historical Society in Ludington, Michigan presents an exhibition exploring history, narrative, and discovery through interactive storytelling. Featured works include Pentiment (2022) by Josh Sawyer and Obsidian Entertainment, a 16th-century Bavarian tale of art, murder, and social change rendered in illuminated-manuscript–inspired visuals, and Legend of the Lost Emerald (2022) by Field Day Lab and PBS Wisconsin, an educational adventure following a maritime archaeologist uncovering the secrets of Great Lakes shipwrecks. Together, these games invite players to engage deeply with historical worlds, combining rich narrative, research, and exploration to illuminate the past in new and immersive ways.

WSCC Manistee Center, Manistee, MI

From November 7, 2025 – April 24, 2026, the WSCC Manistee Center in Manistee, Michigan presents an exhibition of intimate and innovative narrative games. Featured works include Her Story (2015) by Sam Barlow, a non-linear interactive film where players piece together a mystery through live-action video clips, and Florence (2018) by Ken Wong and Mountains, a tender exploration of first love and daily life told through brief chapters and delicate micro-interactions. Both games showcase the power of interactivity to convey emotion, memory, and human connection, offering players unique experiences that focus on storytelling over traditional gameplay mechanics.

Old Kirke Museum, Manistee, MI

From November 7, 2025 – April 24, 2026, The Old Kirk Museum in Manistee, Michigan presents Here and There Along The Echo (2014) by Cardboard Computer, a surreal narrative interlude from the acclaimed Kentucky Route Zero series. In this unique experience, players interact with a mysterious telephone system to hear the “Bureau of Secret Tourism” describe the Echo River and its strange surroundings. Free from traditional puzzles or exploration, the game crafts its story through ambient voice calls, eerie prompts, and optional cryptic messages—inviting visitors to immerse themselves in a haunting, atmospheric exploration of narrative and memory.