Why I Love... Virginia's Silent Story

If words are cheap, the makers of Virginia are the richest of all, telling a gorgeous story with no need for dialogue.

- Kimberley Ballard

In classical Latin, an ‘expression’ denotes an action of ‘pressing out’, or of a ‘projection’. In late Latin, it also represents ‘vividness’. It was only in the 15th century that ‘expression’ became synonymous with ‘putting into words’. This is a shame because too often, expression is only seen as the act of speaking. In cinema and games, characters must say how they feel because how are we expected to know otherwise? The only expression that really counts is the kind that comes wrapped in quotation marks.

The debut game from Jonathan Burroughs eschews this obvious form of expression, creating a mysterious, multilayered narrative with a complete absence of dialogue. Instead of what characters say, it becomes what they don’t. And instead of the words that come out of their mouths, it becomes a nuanced study of body language, facial features and what simmers quietly beneath the surface. It’s a bold move in a culture that relies on dialogue as a tool of understanding.

At the time of its release, Virginia was divisive: tantalising critics who applauded its similarities to Twin Peaks and art-house style of storytelling, while alienating players who found it long-winded and pompous. But beneath Variable State’s arguably contrarian approach to videogames is an experience you won’t find elsewhere.