As a storyteller and amateur writer, it’s always exciting when I can spin something fantastical out of the nonsense in my head. But as a reader, I’m always eager to learn more about the individuals hidden within the written word. It happens in the real world too. I like uncovering what makes other people tick, their life stories and their psyche. In many ways, it helps me with my own writing to make the characters that inhabit the worlds I’ve created more human and understandable. Like I’ve told many an acquaintance within my small social circle, if I could have a thoroughly researched Wikipedia page on everyone I’ve met, I’d be pretty happy. A secret dossier, if you will, on the life and times of EVERY HUMAN ON EARTH.

When a game came out in 2018 that held the premise of sharing stories with others, I was intrigued. Once it was free on the Epic Game Store, I claimed a copy and let it sit in my game library until a pandemic dried up any prospects of me ever obtaining a PlayStation 5 (thank you for the computer chip shortage, Mr SARS-CoV-2, and taking away all prospects of me ever travelling for the next five years). Where the Water Tastes Like Wine is a narrative driven adventure that sees the player character roaming around the then-48 states of the America collecting stories after a card game gone wrong.

Most of these are random events that the player chances upon. And while it doesn’t have flashy cutscenes, the voice acting and narration is great at setting the mood and fleshing out the scenarios, impossible though some may be. I may not be one for audible books but I can imagine how effective they can be with hefty talent. Doesn’t mean I won’t read faster than the person reading it out loud and occasionally want to skip ahead.

In fact, that was perhaps my initial problem with the game. The fact that, like Abzu, I wanted to rush ahead and get to the end. After a few hours of the same repetitive gameplay loop of whistling, stopping, listening, and then moving on, I was almost ready to put it down.

Until I realised that the trick with Where the Water Tastes Like Wine is to slow down. And to treat each campfire individual like the people I talk to on a daily basis. Everyone has a story to tell. No matter how dull it may seem at first, it is always fascinating to learn what has brought them to the singular moment of speaking to you. Everyone has a past. Everyone has hopes and dreams and thoughts and opinions. 

Slowly but surely, I learned about Mason’s struggle with the war and the losses he endured. I sympathised with Cassady’s lovelorn tale about Silas. Dehayaa and her tale about reclaiming the land they had lost. It was also nice to hear their views about certain topics – for which many stories were categorised into as they followed the neat allocation made possible with tarot card symbolism. Each chapter for each character brought new views on such topics as freedom, love, joy, sadness, being trapped, travel, world and fortune – to name several.

And while it might have been tempting if Where the Water Tastes Like Wine had offered the option for the player characters to tell their own stories or embellish the ones they had found, I didn’t feel cheated about learning the intricacies of Bertha’s or Quinn’s lives. Some were humorous. Others sad. But all of them were unique. 

The breadth of the human condition and experience truly is a sight to behold. It is humbling to know that despite our own struggles, what we see, hear and touch everyday is only a small slice of all the things out there. That is why I find it so intriguing to listen and learn. That is why I love to read, watch shows and films, and play video games. It is the experiences I crave. Why? Because not everyone can know the joy of having two living parents that love them. Not everyone can appreciate the pain of losing everything in one devastating blow such as a tornado. 

What is it like to be blind or deaf? How do people in other cultures see the world around them?

And while I may not wish some of the more terrible things even on my worst enemy, seeing how someone can overcome the lemons life has given them is inspiring. Even if they don’t manage to succeed, it’s also great to see how they have managed to cope and bring a sense of normalcy to their lives. While many have been blessed in life, saved from the travail of poverty and hunger, there are also millions worldwide that still do not have ready access to clean water.

Where the Water Tastes Like Wine is not a game for everyone. It’s slow, repetitive and for many the effort might not be worth the end product. For me, though, learning about others, hearing about their struggles and triumphs, is a delight in and of itself. Still, perhaps it would have been better if the map for the United States of America was a little more truncated or focused on a specific region. It is no easy feat to traverse even a digital rendition of The United States of America – let alone uncover all the stories hidden therein.