Henry David Thoreau went down to Walden Pond in 1845 to live simply in nature. In this module as part of Walden, A Game, players take on the role of Thoreau as they attend to his basic needs of life in the woods for one day of his time there. They will explore the nature of Thoreau’s thoughts on self-reliant living as well as his critique of the materialist culture he saw developing in early industrial society in America.

Players will:

• Identify Henry David Thoreau, his book Walden, and his historical/cultural context.

• Analyze two key themes from the first two chapters of the book book: self-reliance & critique of materialism in early industrial society in America. 

• Compare and contrast Thoreau’s life at Walden Pond to their own lives.

• Imagine their own experiment in self-reliance and freedom from materialism

Watch the trailer here

Link to curriculum

• Gameplay time: 15-30 minutes with five options for related lessons and activities

• Lesson time: six modular lessons ranging from 20-60 minutes each

USC Game Innovation Lab