Donut County is an indie video game developed by American indie designer Ben Esposito and published by Annapurna Interactive. In the game, the player moves a hole to swallow objects, which makes the hole increase in size. The concept originated in a game jam that used video game pitches from a Twitter account parody of game designer Peter Molyneux, and later added a mechanic similar to that of Katamari Damacy. Other inspirations for the game included Hopi figurines—a theme Esposito later relinquished—and locations from Bruce Springsteen songs. Donut County was released in August 2018 for iOS, macOS, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows platforms while versions for Xbox One and Nintendo Switch were released in December 2018. It also released for Android in December 2020. Wikipedia
Research exclusive to this game
Nicoll, Benjamin. “Enjoyment in the Anthropocene: the extimacy of ecological catastrophe in Donut County.” Distinktion: Journal of Social Theory (2023): 1-19.
Research that includes this game in its sample
Ruberg, Bo. “Hungry Holes and Insatiable Balls: Video Games, Queer Mechanics, and the Limits of Design.” JCMS: Journal of Cinema and Media Studies 61, no. 3 (2022): 107-128.