Last week, I watched the Six One Indie Showcase, the first showcase of many for what will undoubtedly be a busy summer of game announcements. I was looking forward to this one in particular because Six One Indie’s debut Indie Game Awards show last December impressed me. Considering my computer currently has over 10 demos downloaded and a list of over 20 games I want to look out for, I’d say the showcase last Thursday left a good impression too. The indie-focused team continues to excel at making space for some of the weirdest, crudest, and most interesting games coming from smaller developers. 

A few have stood out from the demos I’ve played, like Glitchspankr, which had me almost cry-laughing as I spanked a talkative, toilet-shaped computer virus so a 12 year old could play his mom’s game called Big Booty Slapper 6, or Jump The Track, which may reinvigorate my love for bubble blasters with its addition of a branching narrative, unlockable dialgoue options, and funky beats. There are a few more that I haven’t touched at all and am itching to get my hands on, including but not limited to the co-op horror Blue Ridge Hunting, the musical platformer Scratch the Cat, and, of course, Dinoblade. The showcase felt like it had something for everyone, which is why I recommend anyone check it out, but the demo I’m compelled to write about is A Week in the Life of Asocial Giraffe.

In this point-and-click puzzle game, you play as a Giraffe doing everything in his power to avoid interacting with people. Seemingly straightforward tasks like getting off a train or buying a soda will be complicated by figuring out how to do them without being noticed. The Giraffe will make it through each level by moving around objects to hide, distract others, and help him reach places his little arms can’t quite get to. The demo is barely 20 minutes and only showcases four levels, but the charm comes across quickly.

Outside of the pleasing art style that reminds me of a children’s book, I saw a younger me in the lengths my tall friend would go to avoid chatting with people. I saw the mental gymnastics I’ve performed as I helped the Giraffe leave a train car without running into the lady looking for her purse and dog. I understood the desire to hide as he tucked away behind a postcard rack, waiting for the photographer to be distracted so he could take his own picture. I quite literally share his tendency to write poems about events or feelings right after they happen, although I don’t share his preference for haikus.  

The game does a great job of showing how this avoidant style of interacting with the world can lead to many self-created (and in this case, enjoyable) puzzles to solve. While the social anxiety I experienced never manifested in the extreme way it does for the Giraffee, the demo reflected much of how I felt during that time. I especially like the way people talk when you fail a sequence and get noticed. The citizens of Friendly City will yap the Giraffe’s ears off with get-to-know-you questions, requests for help, nervous rants, unsubtle tips on how to avoid them next time, and more. These conversations, despite never being mean in the demo, inevitably overwhelm and (mentally) kill the long-necked protagonist. 

I love how these scenes unfold because, as someone who hated well-meaning but dreaded inquiries over my deadly food allergies and/or general health when I was younger, the problem was less about the person asking and more about the intensity of being perceived. Similar to the Giraffe, it created an attitude of independence that made social spaces things to be navigated, interactions minimized, and personal requests handled alone. Over the years, friends, family, therapy, and crucibles disguised as social events have made me significantly better about this, but that doesn’t mean I can’t empathize with a kindred spirit. I still know what it’s like for my head to explode. 

Friendly City’s most asocial resident is all too relatable, and also helms the demo of a puzzle game I’m now looking forward to. I’m curious to see what other scenarios the Giraffe tackles like a kid playing ninja, and if there will be any residents of the city he can manage to hold a conversation with. The promotional photos hint at other areas like a gym and a record store, so I can only imagine how he’s going to get through those without bumping into someone. Although I wouldn’t mind seeing his head blow up one more time, the cutscenes are cute! You can find the demo on Steam if you’d like to check it out for yourself.