What goes into designing a game with cultural heritage, when heritage is complicated and controversial? The making of Runo negotiates childhood memories, stories from the past and stories yet to be written.
Heidi is interested in extraordinary/otherwordly gaming experiences and how to design them. She holds a Phd in Theology and her thesis examined meaningful game experiences and talk about religion in games and with gamers. She has published papers on similar topics and how religion is represented in games. She was lead producer and writer in 2021 published independent game Runo. The game received a Finnish Cultural Foundation grant. Runo is an adventure puzzle game inspired by cultural heritage and folklore.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1642130/Runo/