Nintendo Switch received a curious new title: A Dream About Parking Lots. On the surface, it’s an interactive short story, lasting just 30 to 40 minutes. But for those of us working in parking, the game’s themes and setting offer a surprising amount of insight into how people actually experience the spaces we design and operate.
The game, created by Mexican studio Interactive Dreams, places the player in a surreal, shifting world of endless parking lots. The narrative revolves around walking through these spaces, searching for a car that never seems to be where you left it. Along the way, the player speaks with a therapist, unravelling thoughts around creative paralysis and emotional confusion. What’s striking is how easily this fictional scenario mirrors real frustrations drivers face in poorly designed or inadequately signposted parking environments.
From the very first scene, A Dream About Parking Lots confronts the feeling of being lost—of entering a space that’s familiar in function, yet alien in its navigation. We’ve all heard stories (or complaints) from customers who wandered for too long trying to find their vehicle, or who felt overwhelmed by signage that was either too sparse, too complicated, or inconsistent. This game takes that disorientation and turns it into a narrative experience, reminding us how powerful—and unsettling—that feeling can be.
Parking professionals often focus on the logistical and technical challenges of their work: entry and exit flows, occupancy data, pricing models, and maintenance. But games like this prompt a different perspective: how do these spaces make people feel? In the game, even the presence of a single item—a car key—doesn’t offer much reassurance. Players still wander, still doubt themselves, still feel unsure. This is a powerful metaphor for how technology in parking—apps, sensors, license plate recognition—can fall short if the human experience isn't at the center of design.
As the player stumbles through familiar yet unfamiliar terrain, guided only by cryptic cues and internal dialogue, we’re reminded of the value of intuitive wayfinding. Are entry points clearly marked? Do pedestrians know where to go? Can someone returning from a long trip easily remember where they parked? If not, we risk creating not just a confusing environment, but an emotionally taxing one.
What this indie game does so well is connect a utilitarian space to a deeply personal experience. It’s a reminder that parking isn’t just a mechanical act of leaving a vehicle behind. It’s the beginning and end of countless journeys. It’s part of people’s routines, commutes, holidays, and hospital visits. If those experiences begin with frustration and end in confusion, that feeling will stay with them—about their destination and about us, the parking operators and infrastructure designers.
For parking professionals, it’s an unexpected but timely opportunity to reflect: are we building environments that guide and support, or ones that confuse and frustrate? In a world where the customer experience matters more than ever, that question is worth dreaming about.
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