Don’t Stare is an Indie Game Where You Play an Introvert in an Extroverted World

Have you ever felt anxious or nervous during social interactions? If so, you’ll likely connect with the premise of an upcoming indie game called Don’t Stare.

In the game, your main goal is to avoid extroverted strangers who aren’t looking to harm your character per se, but they are looking to talk to you which isn’t exactly your character’s idea of a good time. 

Don’t worry though, the game lets you avoid these awkward interactions by giving your character parkour skills, allowing you to quickly “nope” the heck out of there. 

Don’t Stare is an Indie Game Where You Play an Introvert in an Extroverted World

As of right now, a release date for Don’t Stare has yet to be announced so if the concept has hooked you as much as it’s hooked me, the best course of action is to wishlist the game on Steam.

If the description above has piqued your interest in the game and you want to learn a little more about it, here’s a brief summary of Don’t Stare: 

“Don’t Stare is an action avoidance platformer where you avoid overly friendly extroverts who want to talk to you! Using superhuman parkour skills, the player avoids the threat of basic conversation while trying to repair their friendship group after a house party gone wrong. From customizing their room to dressing their introvert how they please, the player’s free to perfectly express the person hiding inside their hood! Oh, and you can pet animals to regain social energy.”

Yes, you can pet the dogs in Don’t Stare, and based on what’s shown in the game’s teaser trailer, they’re extra cute.

Other features of the game include being able to customize your introverted character with different “zany” hoodies as the Steam page describes them, being able to customize their bedroom, and get powerups like sunglasses.

To be honest, the game really spoke to me because I was a huge introvert in high school and would wear hoodies 24/7 no matter the time of the year. Hot Californian summer? Hoodie. Stuck inside a stuffy classroom? Nope, not taking off the hoodie, sorry. 

Technically I’m still an introvert with social anxiety so… maybe I shouldn’t word it in the “high school” sense. That part of me never really went away. In fact, I imagine that anxiety has probably worsened instead of improved due to the pandemic. I haven’t had a lot of time for practice, you know? 

And that’s an interesting concept in and of itself given that other people with trends towards introversion and social anxiety may have a harder time picking up where they left off once it’s safe to do so. I feel like this game will speak to others as it spoke to me, for a variety of reasons. 

I’m also sure there will also be plenty of extroverts enjoying the freedom of the outdoors when it’s safe to do so which may create uncomfortable scenarios for introverts like the ones shown in the game. Albeit, with less parkour and platforming action. 

As a whole, the great thing about games — and indie games in particular — is they help put you in the shoes of others. You’re able to see the world in new, creative ways and gain insight into the lives of other people.

You can also find yourself in games, which can help reassure you that you’re not alone. It can be comforting to know that others feel the same way and deal with the same circumstances in life.

So, whether you’re an introvert who can relate to the main character in Don’t Stare, or someone without social anxiety who’s simply looking for a fun new platformer to play, I highly recommend keeping an eye on Don’t Stare.

Ok, maybe that wasn’t the best choice of words there, but either way wishlist the game on Steam, and check out the teaser trailer below!