Video game

Echoes Beneath

Baker Charbonnet

Wilton, CT

Advisor: James Coltrain

Artist Bio

Baker Charbonnet is a Video Game Designer and Mixed Media Artist from Connecticut. She is currently a senior at the University of Connecticut studying Digital Media Design and
concentrating in Video Game Design. Her artwork primarily centers around the female experience, and she tends to feature women as the main characters of her games to help strive towards inclusivity in the gaming space. Her focus is narrative-driven games, as she finds the story just as important as the gameplay, though recently she has been striving to tell her stories through her gameplay just as much as her writing. She has won the Lelia Carter Birrell ‘68 Award for her 2-D work.

Artist Statement

My work explores story, environment, and the female experience through interactive storytelling. In Echoes Beneath, I craft a small-town murder mystery where symbolism, puzzle-solving, and story allow players to uncover buried truths about corruption, power, failure, and resilience. Drawing inspiration from games like Night in the Woods and Tomb Raider, I use environmental design and character-driven choices to immerse players in worlds where exploration and paranoia are central to survival. My practice is motivated by a desire to create strong, non-sexualized female protagonists, inspired by the strong women in my life who encourage me to tell stories that honor women’s strength and complexity. Working primarily in digital media and game design, I strive to blur the line between story and gameplay, ensuring that each mechanic reinforces the emotional and thematic weight of the story while still keeping it fun.