But the most famous and successful walking simulators are best understood as explorations not of environment, but of character. Just as the environments in first-person shooters exist to support action-packed combat, the environments in most walking sims are designed to be platforms for understanding and empathizing with characters
I like how this explains the real heart of walking simulators. For me, it makes sense that these games aren’t really about the spaces you move through, but about the people whose lives those spaces represent. When I play, rooms, objects, and details feel like clues to understanding someone’s experiences and emotions. It’s almost the opposite of shooting games, where the environment is a backdrop for some fight scene or sequence. The environment feels alive in walking simulators because it helps me connect with the characters on a deeper level.