Dot's
Home

Dot's Home (2021) is a narrative game where you play a black woman in Detroit exploring the impact of racism in the past and the results of it today. You travel through time and interact with the characters you meet, learning about redlining, gentrification and urban renewal. The simple explanations of topics and insertion of humour at points offer a unique way to engage with these important ideas.

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You play Dorothea (Dot), a young black woman in a low-income neighbourhood in Detroit who lives in her grandmother's house. After numerous salespeople attempt to purchase the house, you find yourself suddenly sent back in time to when your grandmother first bought the property and then onto several other important events that shaped who you become. In each of these moments, you interact with the characters and see the ways, both obvious and subtle, that racism shaped the outcomes.

You click to explore the places you travel to and talk to the characters you meet along the way. In each scenario, you can choose from different responses, but all eventually lead to the same outcome, reflecting the way many people feel they've had little choice in the journey that's shaped them.

The result is an unusual and thought-provoking game that challenges perceptions of racism and its long-term effects. It explores the agency (or lack thereof) that black people across America have had throughout their history through its well-written conversations and choices.

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Our examiner, Ben Kendall, first checked Dot's Home 20 months ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 20 months ago.