Fellows /

Sam Butin

Digital Storytellers Lab

2022-2023 Fellow

NORMANDIE (Choice Based Narrative/Game)

Normandie: A Documentary Video Game is a narrative video game that explores the stories of Jewish refugees in transit as they fled persecution in Europe on the brink of World War II. Blending the forms of video game and documentary, Normandie uses interactive mechanics to immerse players into personal stories of migration, uncertainty, and memory. Through archival materials and reconstructed narratives, the game aims to educate audiences about the refugee crisis of the 1930s by highlighting its human impact.

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Sam Butin is a storyteller working in games and XR. His past work includes the historical video game 1979 Revolution: Black Friday (BAFTA, SXSW, The Game Awards Nominee, Facebook Game of the Year), HERO (Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival Storyscapes Winner) and Fire Escape: An Interactive Narrative Series (NYFF, Tribeca, VIFF). He has developed original stories for partners including Google, Verizon, & The Brown Institute. He is the founder of On The March, an independent game studio that opens windows for players to peer into untold history.