Available on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PC
1 to 4 players, local or online.
If we are to believe the recent data from the very serious Institute of Statistics of My Own Opinion, it would seem that the majority, roughly, of people who have not been able to leave their homes lately would really like a change of scene. Moving Out offers precisely that: moving house. It is also an opportunity to think about how this activity, just like video gaming, can bring stress and tension.
The studio Team 17 has left its mark on two generations, since we owe it the Worms series (from 1994) and, more recently, the excellent Overcooked and Overcooked 2. While in those last two games you had to cooperate to cook dishes in hilarious situations, Moving Out keeps the same spirit by throwing you into moving furniture. Before throwing it directly yourselves, in fact.
Each level takes the form of a house that has to be emptied as quickly as possible.
Played alone, Moving Out has little flavour. It is in cooperation that its full potential is measured (from two to four players, local or online). Each player controls a budding removal worker and together you have to empty houses as quickly as possible. Of course, some furniture does not fit through everywhere and some pieces will have to be carried by two. It has to be admitted that the recipe works a little less well than for Overcooked. I can still, without too much hesitation, recommend that you play Moving Out as a family. It does, however, allow me to highlight a phenomenon that can sometimes lead to conflict.
“Go left. Left! The other left.”
Indeed, to add a little spice (and difficulty) to the game, the developers have made the characters’ handling a little haphazard. In other words, it is hard to walk in a straight line. This is then justified visually by the offbeat and slightly dazed look of our avatars. Now, ask two people to carry a fridge without being able to move smoothly: it is funny at first. But quickly the family members who are less used to the controller risk losing patience.
Why bother going through the door, if you can throw everything directly?
The phenomenon is therefore the following: an activity that seems identical for all players takes on a totally different flavour depending on each person’s prior experience. The most experienced must pay close attention to what is also happening off-screen for the greenest players. To adopt a suitable pace, communication is essential from the outset (to know whether you deal with the fridge or the sofa first). But you also have to be wary of what is implicit. How people feel is part of that.
Let us take a concrete example. Before starting a new game, it is probably worth taking a moment to discuss, on the one hand, the strategy to adopt (“do we start with the big pieces of furniture in pairs, or the small ones?”, “do we each start with a different room or the same one?”). But also to talk about how effective each person felt in their role. “I lose patience when I can’t turn at the right moment”, “It annoys me to be lagging behind”, “I can’t stand it when you don’t wait for me”, and so on. Such remarks could be starting points for a discussion, to see how the more skilful can help the learners.
If Moving Out is rated PEGI 3, it is because its visual content is entirely suitable for children. However, the dexterity and emotional control that the game demands are aimed at distinctly more seasoned players.
A harmonious video game practice must therefore be achieved by taking everyone’s difficulties into account and showing patience. Otherwise you risk sending more than just the sofa out of the window.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2maY2jMfXw
To discover the game by watching other players on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/Moving%20Out
He works in Switzerland on the themes of excessive screen use, notably with families. He uses video games as a therapeutic tool and keeps a close eye on news about the medium (new releases, trends, impacts, etc.). Alongside his professional activities, he voluntarily runs a game review site (www.semperludo.com), as well as a nationwide association of gamers (www.gamingfederation.ch), through which they aim for responsible video game practice.
Twitter: @niels_weber, @semperludo, @GamingFed
