It’s not everyday you see a grandmother and grandson team up to create a video game. Yet, that’s exactly what game designer Bob De Schutter set out to do when he interviewed his at the time 92-year old grandmother Bie Verlinden about her life as a young girl.
Together, they take players on a journey to the titular medieval farmhouse in rural Belgium. It’s a place that’s rife with memories. Peaceful images about growing up on a farm and taking care of the smaller children in the family. But it’s also the stage for a series of traumatic events, when the family home suddenly finds itself on the frontline of the Second World War. Players get a front-row seat to all of Bie’s memories, as captured by her grandson.
While Brukel captures the way of life during the Interbellum, it doesn’t claim to be a historically accurate time capsule. It is, however, a faithful reconstruction of how Bie remembers it and perhaps that’s what makes it even more interesting.
About the developer
Bob De Schutter is a Belgian game designer who’s currently Associate Professor of Game Design at Northeastern University in Boston. His work and research focus on the design of video games for players in middle through late adulthood.
