Musings on a hypothetical or conceptual game that teaches

the player about anti-feminism, anti-racism, LGBT rights, class stratification,

or some other issue(s) that impact how humans interact with one another….

Hmm…on one hand, I think the actual design of the game

itself could have an amazing array of possibilities and options that would be

both interesting and fun. I suppose that my larger concern (over that of the

development and programming of the game itself), would be in trying to make it desirable

to those individuals who the game would intend to educate. Indeed, the very

people that I would seek to reach out to in my game often have these sorts of opinions

because of very profound/personal belief systems which are often,  if not altogether insurmountable, difficult to

effectively challenge, much less overcome and elicit true change. (That’s the

jaded part of my consciousness speaking, I reckon.)

But, being the imaginative little beastie that I am, I will

suppose that I have an ideal pedagogical environment wherein these individuals

are actually open to the experience and eager to see what the game could teach

them. So, given a genuinely curious and insightful player base, here are some

possible thoughts/ideas about how such a game might be imagined….

I’d likely design it to have the overall feel of an RPG,

with elements of a mystery and/or hidden objects game. I’ve been an avid gamer

since childhood and tend to like RPGs a lot as they provide the opportunity to

be, and potentially act as, yourself, but also ironically gain a little

distance from your “truest” nature. RPGs provide an environment in which the

player is able to contemplate and consider things from a more open-minded, and

differential perspective. Therefore, by designing the game with an RPG base, it

grants the player the “overlay” of a game character, which I feel allows for

greater cognitive openness.  I also like

horror/survival type games, but I would try to shy away from violence as part

of the player’s objectives in this game as it would seem counterintuitive to

fostering a sense of non-violence, non-aggressive respect and/or consideration.

As for the setting, I might experiment with a time-traveling

theme perhaps, which again cognitively primes the player to “step outside

themselves” and consider things from a perspective that helps neutralize their RL

socialization and/or experience(s). Maybe call it and model it something along

the lines of “A Spiritual Evolution” or “A Spirit’s Evolution” something…

So, as the game begins the player is given a quick tutorial

as to how to use the controls and navigate throughout the ages. At the end of

each level, the goal is to collect “time coins,” which will allow them to go to

the next level.

Perhaps the player will be given a different level for each

of the categories/issues listed above (feminism, LGBT, social classes, etc.).

In order to teach them about feminism and/or class

stratification – perhaps we would start the player back in a setting like King

Arthur’s court. The player is female at this level. Having woken up in a castle’s

servant bedrooms, the player is instructed to find the time coins needed to

move forward in time. They can search the bedroom (alas – nothing is there),

and as they wander the castle, they will have to solve different puzzles to

gain access to certain rooms (library, etc.). Further, they will be frequently

thwarted by others roaming in the castle – such as “you shouldn’t be in here,” “the

lord of the manor wants you to bring him something to eat,” “they need help

scrubbing the statues,” etc. If we were going for true realism, we could

intensify the experience by having a back story that the character’s children

are starving or dying from disease (and no one helps her), and/or during a

feast, the character is not only subject to sexual harassment, but gets busted

stealing some bread for her children or something. These games could get really

hard-core, so I suppose we’d have to beta test it to find out what the limits

are as far as how realistic we should go. Once they have searched through

hidden object scenes and solved certain puzzles, they can use their time coins

to travel to another epoch.

Perhaps another level may consist of being a male player,

happily living in Africa when a slave-trading ship arrives. As the player’s

wife is taken, the player (though they could escape) decides to go with them so

he can try to protect his wife. On the ship, we could have a few puzzles/hidden

objects and perhaps he finds a few time coins to keep the player playing. The

ship, after a rough travel overseas in which some of his “friends” die, the

player and his wife cling to one another as they are ushered off the boat to a

slave auction in North Carolina. The player is given the choice to be sent

North as a house servant, or give up a time coin to stay with his wife, who is

destined for the brutal life of agriculture. Once they arrive at the

plantation, there will be puzzles and hidden object scenes – along with

obstacles that the player must deal with. These obstacles could be similar to

those that the castle maid deals with and the level of realism – once again –

is difficult to plan for….ultimately, to keep the player going though, having

collected enough time coins, the player can escape into the future with his

wife.

From there we can give them locations/characters that will

similarly walk them through life as a homosexual/bisexual or even a transgender

character, maybe a level to touch on religious tolerance, although I’d be wary

of that because people are so defensive about their belief systems – but perhaps

I would make it more from a mythological perspective – if I can make it fun and

visually appealing enough, maybe I could get the player to consider other religions.

As for making it multi-player, perhaps in each scenario we

can have players that are in the same “category/class” – such as a small group

of female castle servants, or a group of African characters that are from the

same tribe, or non-normative gender characters in the same group. This would

allow for greater authenticity perhaps, because it’s natural for people to reach

out to those that are “like” them and may help facilitate greater openness and

dialogue of the issue. And as McGonigal notes in her chapter, “Fun with

Strangers” – “reminded of how much we share with even the strangest of

strangers.” Setting this up as a multi-player game, then, allows for people

from different generations, different nations, different backgrounds of all

sorts to come together and have a “living, breathing” dialogue with these

issues.

Plus, the players’ efforts could be further problematized by

maybe making them have to reach out, in order to solve some puzzles or find

inventory objects, at different points to the “opposing” power structures/figures.

Yet, that said, I would be loath to actually let people play in the positions

of power in the different environments. I think it would be all-too-easy for

trolls and haters to really take things too far, which would shut down the

player’s ability to experience certain things. 

I think I would likely make the “power structure” characters as NPCs

instead, which will help control the game play, its movement and the

experiences that the player can engage in. Ultimately, then, I think this could

be done. I feel that framing it as a collection of RPG characters thrust into

difficult scenarios, but given relatively easy puzzles to solve in order to get

clues or time coins, along with beautiful scenery/environments for hidden

object searching, which are also fun. These parts of the game could help offset

the intensity of the scenarios the character is in – yet still allow for a

learning experience.

I appreciated McGonigal’s text, though I think she tends

towards the conservative when it comes to the types of games we should be

playing. She seems to eschew violence in gaming and personally, I feel that

violence (on a spectrum) is part of human nature. It may in fact, be healthy

for us to engage in “game” violence now and then as a means of blowing off

steam. And as for the argument that violent gaming leads to violent children or

murderers, well, my sense is that if a person games and then commits a RL

murder – they were unstable to begin with. A well-adapted individual recognizes

the boundaries between RL and the game. Indeed, when D&D first came out,

there were cries that we – as players – were Satanists or idolaters, in

addition to the violence debate over killing orcs and dragons.

Yet, as for how McGonical might consider my game – I would

hope that she could recognize the pedagogical potential. She certainly argues for

constructive gaming which can elicit real world change, and I think my concept

could help open people up to these experiences and encourage them to engage

with these issues in an appropriate manner. Indeed, she describes in her text,

a boy named “Tom,” who exclaims about the game “The Extraordinaries,” that “it

was like a life-saving scavenger hunt.” This is sort of how I see my game. The

player must not only experience the trials and tribulations of given marginalized

groups, but do with a positive outlook and the fulfillment of quests/objectives

will grant a sense of pride and accomplishment that is rewarding. It would be a

positive-feedback game – despite the harshness and authenticity of each level. And

just as Tom was able to map a defibrillator and save lives – in my game, the

player is given that same opportunity. It’s just a bit more realistically and

historically based.

(Margie's Musings)