I played Earth Mother, Sky Father with my friend Gabrielle last week, and geez is it good.
You're on the edge of your seat as the other player is choosing a prompt for you. More than once the hair was standing up on my arms. Every follow-up question feels so emotional. And it's all because of how real conversation works, how it creates an emotional space, how we take risks with the words we use and how it reveals us to be seen by others.
I think there's a kind of game design that is outside the circle of what we usually think of as game design and that I only usually see in duet games like this and journaling games. It's a kind of game design that understands how words and conversation create identity and human connection and validation. Earth Mother, Sky Father's prompts and language are so intentional. The path through them is so intentional. The way the follow-up question is done is so perfect. It's so easy for the other player to choose exactly the right word for you to follow-up on, because of how we reveal ourselves with words. It's masterful game design. I really love it.
Thank you for writing it.