From Rivers to Stars: Indigenous Self-Determination in Games and XR

Along the River of Spacetime opens from within 360° footage of a wigwam. You are welcomed to look to the sky to activate stars to form constellations. In doing so, you are teleported across non-linear seasons as you contribute to the restoration of lands and waters in the present. Meanwhile, in When Rivers Were Trails, you are challenged to make a journey because you've been displaced from your territory in the 1890's, with requests to participate in resistances, confrontations with Indian Agents, and crossing rivers by canoe along the way to finding a new sense of home. Whether interfacing through headsets, keyboards, or touchscreens, the myriad of games and XR discussed in this talk are informed by Indigenous self-determination, meaning they are led by Indigenous voices, which in turn informs the possibilities of interactions.