Date of Award
Spring 3-13-2025
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
School
School of Design
First Advisor
Richard Wetzel
Second Advisor
Allen Turner
Third Advisor
Jes Klass
Abstract
The Son Becomes is an interactive Twine game that explores generational trauma through a time loop of narrative across three generations of inherited pain. Trapped in a recurrence of pain, players will take the roles of different family members of a father, his son, and grandson and navigate through a relentless cycle of choices, mirroring the suffocation that can happen within a family that may be going through generational trauma. Through the interactive dialogue, players confront the recurring patterns, often making them feel powerless as the choices keep repeating, making it seem like there isn’t a light at the end of the tunnel of suffering. The time loop mechanic reinforces the feeling of entrapment, where it feels like there is no end to generational trauma. Through the game’s minimalist, text driven storytelling that mirrors the invisibility of passed down trauma with simple visuals, The Son Becomes tries to challenge the players in the final loop to see if they can break this cycle of pain or if this cycle of pain will continue on forever.
Recommended Citation
Zhang, Katherine, "The son becomes" (2025). College of Computing and Digital Media Dissertations. 70.
https://via.library.depaul.edu/cdm_etd/70