InnovationRCA start-up Episod Studio on how gaming can change our perspective on the world

Can you tell us about your long-term goals for Episod Studios?

Our vision is to establish Episod Studios as a brand that hosts unheard voices and tells urgent stories in all the games we produce, inspiring activism and social change among players. We have devised a unique Participatory Narrative Design process to weave true stories inside a fictional game world. We put experts and witnesses in front of the audience to build an experience around the player, and we use participatory design to co-create with those closest to the stories we tell.

Our content offers a commentary on reality without sacrificing game mechanics. A current title in development is Race for the Arctic, a narrative adventure set in the next 50 years of climate change in the Arctic, co-created with climate scientists and indigenous communities. Future titles include Diktatura, an open-world dictatorship inspired by the true stories of people who lived during the Albanian dictatorship, and Propaganda, a multiplayer post-truth game created through workshops with people who experienced the Yugoslav Wars.

What has your journey as entrepreneurs been like so far?

We founded Episod Studio two years ago with the help of InnovationRCA and it has been an incredible journey for us. Joining the InnovationRCA incubator early on allowed us to transition seamlessly from being students to co-founders, and since then we have experienced both challenges and rewards.

Our business has matured, and we have expanded our industry network in games and films, constantly learning along the way. Perhaps the most exciting part has been stepping out of our comfort zone as creative designers to deal with investors. We have also been fortunate to receive great support from our players who have tested our game prototype. They are a constant reminder of why we are doing what we are doing.

What and who are your sources of inspiration?

At Episod Studio, we have a vision to establish ourselves as a brand that amplifies unheard voices and shares urgent stories in every game we produce, inspiring activism and social change among players.

Our inspiration for this vision stems from the teachings of the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire and his theory of critical consciousness, which aims to empower the audience to intervene in reality and make positive changes. In creating our games, we draw inspiration from projects that seek to impact the world or provide players with emotional journeys.

Titles like What Remains of Edith Finch, Alba and Firewatch have been especially influential in our work. Managing our team and start-up has been a learning experience, and we've found great guidance in The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo, a former VP Design at Facebook. She shares her experiences as a young female leader and offers insights on how to build trust within a team.

How did the MA Information Experience Design help you see the potential of video games to help us understand issues like climate change?

The MA Information Experience Design provided us with a unique perspective on transforming information into experience, through a multidisciplinary curriculum that included philosophy and social science. One of our tutors had a background in the games industry, and we worked closely with her to explore how games can tell stories, engage audiences and change people's perspectives. For us, games became a methodology to deconstruct and reconstruct reality.

During our time on the programme, we collaborated on a VR project for the V&A, which is where we discovered that our skills complemented each other well. We were keen to continue our collaboration and decided to establish the first games club at the RCA, with a shared interest in developing games that address important issues and have real-world impact.

It was in the games club that we began exploring the story of climate change in the Arctic, which we felt was the most crucial story of climate change, and we wanted to use our skills to bring this story to life. Following MA Information Experience Design's emphasis on whose story we are telling, we reached out to people living and working in the Arctic, and we became acutely aware of the urgency of this issue. This is how the first concept for Race for the Arctic emerged, a game that aims to educate players about the Arctic and the impact of climate change.

What have you valued the most about being part of InnovationRCA?

The most valuable aspect has been the diverse range of mentors we meet regularly, who guide us through various aspects of the business, including finances, marketing and team management. They helped us see our start-up as more than just a creative project and equipped us with the right tools and mechanisms to grow as an entity. It's reassuring to have a support system that we can rely on when faced with challenges.

Having an office space is also very helpful when we want to bring the whole team to work together. Being surrounded by other start-ups has also been very encouraging, as it has allowed us to share experiences, struggles and knowledge with one another. Running a start-up can sometimes feel very isolating, and being surrounded by other people on a similar journey to yours can make it feel less lonely. The focus and passion displayed by other entrepreneurs are inspiring and we're grateful to be part of such a supportive community.

What advice would you give to RCA students thinking of starting their entrepreneurial journey?

Starting an entrepreneurial journey can be challenging and getting the results you want can take a while. That's why it is so important to let go of ideas that are not working and be willing to adapt. Keep in mind that you may be required to take on roles that are not your strongest, but it will be a valuable learning experience that in the end makes it worthwhile.