TapeStories

It’s a matter of life and death: TapeStories presents a thrilling interactive thriller on an “Amazon Alexa”-enabled device, in which players share the anonymous main character’s suspense right up to the end. By making decisions via voice commands, they help the protagonist escape from a life-threatening factory. What can already be surmised as the story unfolds is not revealed until near the end: The main character is a pig raised for slaughter who is trying to escape being butchered. Because his brother goes missing in the initial chaos, he witnesses the shocking goings-on in the factory during his dangerous search for him. Convincing voice actors and an unsettling soundscape allow players to experience the issue of factory farming from a personal perspective without feeling judged. TapeStories also succeeds in highlighting not only the questionable treatment of animals but also the people involved in the process and their fates. This gripping interactive audio drama encourages reflection on the circumstances under which some of our food is produced and the price we—both humans and animals—pay for it.

The DCP Jury 2020