This heartfelt Big Walk fan mail will restore your faith in video games

A couple of weeks ago, I asked the internet to pitch me stories that would make me smile. It was less of a call for submissions and more of an existential plea for help. Tending to a news cycle that has been in the doldrums for what feels like a lifetime is taking its toll, and I'd wager reading those stories is having a similar impact on you.

I needed reminding of what pulled me into this world in the first place. I recall an industry filled with warmth and optimism that now seems to have all but disappeared. 

Then, I received an email.

A member of PR agency Popagenda (shout out to Jurge!) reached out to see whether I wanted to have a gander at some of the letters Big Walk players have been sending into publisher Panic and developer House House after completing the comedic co-operative stroller. They explained the correspondence regularly lifts their spirits, and said Panic has been hard at work digitising the library of marvellous missives it has received.

I obviously jumped at the chance, and so here I am, sat at my dining table on a Tuesday afternoon, just about holding myself together after poring over a collection of heartfelt dispatches sent from players around the world.

There's gorgeous fan art. Emotional stories of friends reunited and relationships renewed. Parents and children making memories that will last a lifetime. And yes, the fabled gourds/eggs/redheads—the undisputed star of Big Walk's whimsical adventure—are out in force.