Food in video games is often referred to as a “consumable,” a resource that confers health or another perk on the player.
But in Venba, a narrative cooking game, food is something more: It’s something to labor over, to infuse with rich emotions, to savor.
In one scene, an immigrant mother cooks a meal for her son, expecting him home from university.
Chicken drumsticks simmer in a sticky sauce; a whole fish sizzles in a frying pan; an unctuous golden curry bubbles.
Despite Venba’s three-year development phase, this scene of prepared-yet-uneaten food made it into the final game essentially untouched.
Persons:
Abhi Swaminathan, ”, Sam Elkana, amma ”
Locations:
Venba, Canada, Toronto, India