Eurogamer is marking Pride with a series of features that explore the intersection of queer culture and gaming. The week begins with a look at Neoludic Games' Tiny Bookshop, a cosy title that embeds a powerful narrative about a hidden queer history within its gameplay.
The game is set in Bookstonbury, a town that echoes the author's university experience in Aberystwyth, complete with a seaside promenade, castle ruins, and a university. In Tiny Bookshop, players can vicariously live out the fantasy of owning a bookshop, a core mechanic of which involves recommending books to customers based on their stated preferences. The game features a diverse library, including real-world titles from classics like "The Odyssey" to modern works, alongside invented books. A notable aspect is the inclusion of numerous LGBTQIA+ stories and works by queer authors, a deliberate choice by the developer.
This integration of queer narratives resonates with personal experiences of seeking representation. For many, books served as a sanctuary, particularly when finding queer stories was difficult and the courage to ask for them was lacking. The game provides a space to discover narratives featuring lesbian characters and queer experiences, offering a sense of validation and connection that might have been missing during formative years.
Unravelling the Mystery of Saint Bookston
Beyond its book-selling mechanics, Tiny Bookshop incorporates a mystery centered around the identity of Saint Bookston, the town's patron of the literary arts. Players investigate clues, starting with a poem fragment found in a cave, and are assisted by a young character named Harper. The investigation involves finding pieces of a crest scattered throughout Bookstonbury. The ultimate revelation is that Saint Bookston was not a man, but Sophia Theodosia Bright, a 16th-century poet who was secretly betrothed to Audrey Harington-Bright. The university had appropriated Sophia's work, attributing it to the fictional 'Bookston' and erasing her true identity, love, and achievements.
This narrative mirrors real-world literary history, where women writers were often marginalized or forced to use male pseudonyms. The article draws parallels to figures like Mary Ann Evans, who wrote "Middlemarch" under the pen name George Eliot, and Eliza Heywood, a prolific 18th-century author whose contributions were largely unrecognized until decades later. The game highlights how many significant works may have been lost entirely due to the gender of their authors.
Tiny Bookshop is not the only game to explore themes of denied recognition. "Botany Manor," released in 2024, similarly tells the story of Arabella, a protagonist whose botanical discoveries were sidelined or stolen by men. Despite her academic work being rejected, Arabella establishes a botany school for women, finding fulfillment in teaching and potentially achieving recognition through her legacy.
In Tiny Bookshop, Sophia's story is one of erasure, with her identity and contributions reshaped into a fictional ideal of a scholar. Initially interpreted as a poem of unrequited love, Sophia's words gain new meaning upon the revelation of her relationship with Audrey. The game suggests that their relationship would likely have been publicly dismissed as mere friendship, given the extent of Sophia's erasure. A letter from Audrey reveals her efforts to preserve Sophia's memory after her death, hoping for future acceptance of relationships like theirs.
Reclaiming and Celebrating Stories
A key strength of Sophia and Audrey's story is its framing as a truth to be celebrated rather than hidden. The residents of Bookstonbury react positively to the revelation, establishing a memorial trail and petitioning the university to rename itself. Ultimately, Tiny Bookshop emphasizes the power of stories to heal and inspire. It demonstrates how narratives can be rewritten and reclaimed when attempts are made to control them, offering a profound reminder that even when silenced, a voice can ultimately be heard. The game's inclusion of queer narratives provides a vital sense of visibility and validation, offering a powerful experience for players, particularly for those who, like the author in their youth, sought representation in the stories they consumed.