Beyond the Lookout: Language as a Tool of Deception in Firewatch
Beyond the Lookout: Language as a Tool of Deception in Firewatch

Summary/Abstract: Campo Santo and Panic’s Firewatch, the critically acclaimed first-person walking and talking simulator, presents a mystery experienced through the perspective of Henry, a middle-aged man, who assumes the role of a fire lookout as an escape from his troubled domestic life. This paper examines how the plot-twist based narrative design of Firewatch foregrounds the deceptive dimension of language through the two protagonists’ relationship dynamics. Henry’s sole source of information is his supervisor, Delilah; the central game mechanic involves communication through a walkie-talkie system. The game’s discursive design is not limited to dialogue, as the game environment offers high interactivity, enabling Henry and the player to uncover details about two other significant characters – Ned, a former lookout, and his son, Brian – by perusing various notes and documents. Thus, the various clues discovered during one’s playtime underscore the multifaceted uses of language in both its written and spoken forms. At the same time, the varied manifestations of language during the first half of the game do not accurately foreshadow how the second half of the story unfolds, suggesting that language – at least within the world of Firewatch – is a medium best described as unreliable and deceptive.

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