Like many places, Alaska has a difficult history in which Indigenous cultures, communities, languages, and belief systems have been disrupted by colonial forces. As part of the ongoing struggle for sovereignty and cultural revitalization, Alaska Native communities have been working to reclaim the knowledges and ways of being that have been threatened by Western economies, educational systems, religious beliefs,
media, and language practices. As I discuss elsewhere, new media and digital texts like Kisima Inŋitchuŋa (Never Alone) have the potential to support linguistic and cultural revitalization as parts of larger networks of resources and experiences (Stone, 2018). In Kisima Inŋitchuŋa (2014), a girl named Nuna and a fox search for the source of a blizzard that threatens the well-being of their village. Along the way they learn about spirit helpers, the dangers of the Arctic, and the values and beliefs that have supported strong communities in the north for over 10,000 years. Players progress through the indie side-scrolling adventure game by figuring out how to use Nuna’s and Fox’s abilities to solve problems rooted in the narrative and natural world around them. As player-characters move through the game, they unlock a series of “cultural insights” where elders and other Iñupiat culture bearers explain the significance of various aspects of the game (see Massanari, 2015, for a detailed overview of the game). Kisima Inŋitchuŋa, which has won numerous awards, has been
lauded as the first of a new genre of “world games” that use video games to revitalize cultural knowledge, create positive representations of Indigenous people, and resist stereotypes (E-line Media, 2016). In short, Kisima Inŋitchuŋa illustrates the potential of video games for supporting Indigenous well-being.
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