Wallpaper is an interactive short fiction story developed by Andy Campbell and Judi Alston through Dreaming Methods. The story follows Phillip (PJ) Sander’s return to his childhood home after the death of his mother. The player controls PJ in first person and can freely move around the house and grounds, as well as interact with certain objects. Through the discovery of notes, postcards and other elements of the house the player pieces together the history of the Sanders. This results in a nonlinear story where the order of information given to the player is decided by which rooms of the house they enter first. (i. e. entering the bedroom before the living room or vice versa.)
The player mainly navigates via a light provided by the augmented reality device PJ is developing and wearing. The piece uses a variety of ways to deliver the text of the story to the player including narration, video, PJ’s inner thoughts and the items that can be found in the house. Sound is used to great effect with a lot of the atmosphere of the piece coming from the music and sound effects, immersing the player in the character and world of the story very effectively. While in the game there is no way for the player to pause or pull up any menu of any kind, which has the advantage of making the story feel much more immersive, but also hinders the piece slightly, not allowing for adjustments to be made to controls or volume.
The main theme of Wallpaper is loss. PJ returns to the house after losing his mother and discovers his memories and feelings about the past are stronger than he realized. The story expands on this through many voice lines PJ has, which further reinforce the sense of loss he is feeling. One example of this is when PJ picks up a photo of himself wearing a cap and gown and says, “Life seemed so exciting and full of potential back then.” showing that PJ feels loss for the optimism and world view he had as a younger man.
This entry was written as a requirement for ENGL 693: Digital Literature, Dr. Melinda White, University of New Hampshire, Spring 2026.
