Dot's Home

About Dot's Home Feature

Dot's Home is a narrative-driven video game that explores themes of housing justice, generational legacy, and community through the lens of a young Black woman in her family home. The app combines a poignant storyline with thoughtful puzzle mechanics, offering players an immersive experience that educates and inspires reflection on systemic issues affecting urban neighborhoods and family histories.

Chapter 1: Function

Dot's Home functions primarily as a single-player, story-based puzzle game. The core gameplay involves navigating through different time periods within the same house. Players control the protagonist, Dot, and interact with the environment to solve spatial and temporal puzzles. These interactions allow players to change small decisions in the past, which subsequently alter the present-day circumstances for Dot and her family. The mechanics are intuitive, focusing on exploration and selection rather than complex controls. As players progress, they unlock new chapters of the family's story, making the narrative itself a key functional element that unfolds based on the player's choices and discoveries within the game's levels.

Chapter 2: Value

The value of Dot's Home lies in its powerful fusion of entertainment with social education. It serves as an impactful piece of 'edutainment' that raises awareness about redlining, gentrification, and the historical barriers to homeownership faced by communities of color in the United States. Its key advantage is its ability to foster empathy and understanding by personalizing these complex, systemic issues through a relatable family narrative. Players do not just read about housing injustice; they experience its consequences and intergenerational impact firsthand through gameplay. This emotional engagement makes the educational content more resonant and memorable. Furthermore, the app provides a unique and high-quality gaming experience, featuring compelling art, a soulful soundtrack, and a well-crafted story that stands out in the mobile gaming landscape. It offers value as a conversation starter and a tool for reflection on the importance of stable housing and community history.

Chapter 3: Scenarios

Dot's Home is ideally suited for players interested in meaningful, story-rich games rather than fast-paced action. Its primary target users include educators and students in social studies, history, or civics classes, where it can be used as a dynamic resource to spark discussions on social justice. It also appeals to advocates and individuals working in community organizing or housing policy, who can use the game as a relatable example of systemic challenges. For everyday users, it is perfect for commuters or anyone seeking a thoughtful gaming session that offers more than just entertainment. A player might use the app during their evening downtime, immersing themselves in Dot's family saga and reflecting on the connections between past policies and present-day realities in their own communities.