Week 3 Questions

How does Flanagan’s definition of a game differ from Crawford’s and Salen & Zimmerman’s?
Flanagan emphasizes games as cultural and political systems that can critique society, while Crawford focuses on games as interactive conflict and Salen & Zimmerman define games more structurally as rule-based systems with quantifiable outcomes.

What is an activist game?
An activist game is designed to provoke awareness, critique power structures, or inspire social or political change rather than just entertain.

What other games feature “perfect information”?
Games like checkers, tic-tac-toe, Connect Four, and Othello also use perfect information, since all players can see the entire game state at all times.

Why might chance or gambling games hold spiritual or religious importance to ancient cultures?
Ancient cultures often viewed chance as a way to communicate with gods or fate, making gambling games tools for divination, ritual, or understanding cosmic order.

When was the earliest battle between government/religious groups and games, and what modern games have been banned or demonized?
Conflicts date back to ancient China and medieval Europe, where games were seen as immoral or distracting; modern examples include bans on Dungeons & Dragons, violent video games, and certain online games.

What is a fox game, and what is a modern example?
A fox game is an asymmetric game where one side is outnumbered but more powerful; a modern example is Scotland Yard or multiplayer stealth games like Dead by Daylight.

What was the purpose of The Mansion of Happiness?
The game was designed to teach Christian morality by rewarding virtue and punishing vice, reinforcing 19th-century religious values.

Why do Fluxus and Surrealist artists play games, and why did Surrealists believe games could help everyone?
They used games to disrupt logic, authorship, and control; Surrealists believed games could unlock creativity and access the unconscious for all players.

How can changes in play signal profound changes in games, and how was pinball reskinned during WWII?
Shifts in themes and mechanics reflect cultural priorities; during WWII, pinball machines were reskinned with patriotic and military imagery to support nationalism.

What statements did Fluxus artists make by reskinning Monopoly and ping pong?
They critiqued capitalism, competition, and rigid rules by turning familiar games into absurd, participatory, or anti-commercial experiences.

How are artists like Duchamp, Ono, and Catlow using war games?
They reinterpret war games to critique conflict, power, and strategy, often emphasizing peace, cooperation, or the human cost of war.

Why is player agency important in a critical or serious game?
Agency allows players to meaningfully engage with ideas, reflect on consequences, and internalize the game’s critique rather than passively receiving a message.

Gris

1. What made the experience fun or not? The metaphors you had to answer along the way to figure out the meaning of the game.
2. What is the motivating factor to get or keep players playing? I feel like the lack of direction helps because its about the mystery of what will happen next.
3. Is the game persuasive, and what is it trying to get you to do outside of the game? It is trying to help you experience grief and how to cut yourself some slack.
4. What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The game is a metaphor for moving through stages of grief, with color and sound. Mechanics that standout include the gradual unlocking of movement abilities and the return of color to the world.
5. How does the gameplay make you feel? Who does the game make you feel empathy for? The game makes me feel broken and gradually gives me strength. The game makes me feel empath for the girl.
6. Is the game an activist game? If so what does the game play advocate for? Yes it advocates for mental illness and grief.
7. Describe the game in 3 sentences or in the form of a haiku. A silent world breaks apart as color slowly returns. Movement replaces numbness, and pain becomes progress. Healing is not winning it is continuing.

Dumb Ways to Die

1. What made the experience fun or not? The easiness of the game and the customization of your character
2. What is the motivating factor to get or keep players playing? To get a higher score.
3. Is the game persuasive, and what is it trying to get you to do outside of the game? Yes, the game is trying to prevent you from doing dumb things that will kill you.
4. What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The metaphor is to dont die in a dumb way and the mechanics that standout are the score and attempting to stay alive as the game gets faster.
5. How does the gameplay make you feel? Who does the game make you feel empathy for? The game gives me a sense of irony because they made a fun game out of ways you could die. The game makes me feel empathy for the three guys when they fall into their grave for every mistake I made.
6. Is the game an activist game? If so what does the game play advocate for? Yes it advocates for the people who don’t have the common sense skill and end up dying becasue of it.
7. Describe the game in 3 sentences or in the form of a haiku. do not kill yourself. survive each scenario. increase your high score.

Detroit: Become Human

1. What made the experience fun or not? The dramatics of the game and the tough decisions you need to make.
2. What is the motivating factor to get or keep players playing? The game switches through three characters and the suspense keeps you on your toes.
3. Is the game persuasive, and what is it trying to get you to do outside of the game? Yes the game is trying to show real world issues and how we can have an impact on it.
4. What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The android represents social groups and how they make impacts on the world. Mechanics that stand out is branching narratives, choices, and stories.
5. How does the gameplay make you feel? Who does the game make you feel empathy for? The gameplay is suspenseful and dramatic. It makes me feel empathy for the androids and side characters who are negatively affected.
6. Is the game an activist game? If so what does the game play advocate for? Yes it advocated for empathy, equality, and nonviolence.
7. Describe the game in 3 sentences or in the form of a haiku. The game places the player in control of androids whose survival depends on moral choices. Every decision reshapes the story and forces reflection on power and prejudice. The game asks whether freedom is earned through obedience or resistance.

OuterWorlds

1. What made the experience fun or not? It critiques unchecked capitalism and corporate control, causing players to question authority, labor exploitation, and profit driven systems in the real world.
2. What is the motivating factor to get or keep players playing? The humor and meaningful choices make it fun.
3. Is the game persuasive, and what is it trying to get you to do outside of the game? Player choice and consequence are the main motivators, as decisions visibly affect characters, factions, and the world’s outcome.
4. What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The game is a metaphor for late-stage capitalism in a sci-fi colony, with standout mechanics including branching dialogue, faction reputation, and choice-driven storytelling.
5. How does the gameplay make you feel? Who does the game make you feel empathy for? The gameplay often feels darkly humorous but morally tense, building empathy for exploited workers, colonists, and individuals crushed by corporate systems.
6. Is the game an activist game? If so what does the game play advocate for? Yes, it advocates for ethical responsibility, worker dignity, and resistance to dehumanizing corporate power.
7. Describe the game in 3 sentences or in the form of a haiku. Corporate stars burn bright. Choices cut through profit lies. Freedom costs something

Fake It to Make It

1. What made the experience fun or not? The game isn’t “fun” in a traditional way, but it’s engaging because it feels fast-paced and tense. The discomfort is intentional and keeps you thinking.
2. What is the motivating factor to get or keep players playing? The desire to win elections and see how far misinformation can be pushed motivates players. Curiosity about the consequences of your choices keeps you going.
3. Is the game persuasive, and what is it trying to get you to do outside of the game? Yes, it aims to make players more critical of political media. Outside the game, it encourages skepticism toward news, social media, and political messaging.
4. What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The game is a metaphor for modern political manipulation and “spin culture.” The standout mechanics are creating fake news, targeting voter groups, and watching public opinion shift.
5. How does the gameplay make you feel? Who does the game make you feel empathy for? The gameplay can feel uncomfortable, guilty, and eye opening. It creates empathy for voters who are easily manipulated by misinformation.
6. Is the game an activist game? If so what does the game play advocate for? Yes, it’s an activist game. It advocates for media literacy, ethical politics, and awareness of how misinformation undermines democracy.
7. Describe the game in 3 sentences or in the form of a haiku. This game puts you in the role of a political manipulator spreading misinformation to win elections. The game reveals how easily public opinion can be influenced through targeted media. It ultimately warns players about the real-world dangers of fake news and propaganda.

Cards Against Calamity

1. What made the experience fun or not? The game is fun because it uses dark humor and absurd card combinations to make heavy topics feel approachable, but it can feel uncomfortable if players aren’t into satire or social critique.
2. What is the motivating factor to get or keep players playing? Players are motivated by shock value, humor, and social interaction, trying to outdo each other with the most clever or outrageous card combinations.
3. Is the game persuasive, and what is it trying to get you to do outside of the game? Yes, it’s persuasive in a subtle way. It encourages players to reflect on real-world disasters, systems of power, and social inequalities rather than prompting a specific action like buying something.
4. What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The metaphor is that global crises are often reduced to simplified, absurd narratives. The standout mechanic is card pairing, which exposes how easily complex tragedies can be trivialized or reframed.
5. How does the gameplay make you feel? Who does the game make you feel empathy for? The game creates a mix of amusement and discomfort, pushing players to laugh while recognizing serious consequences. It fosters empathy for people affected by disasters and systemic failures.
6. Is the game an activist game? If so what does the game play advocate for? Yes, it functions as an activist game by critiquing media framing, capitalism, and indifference toward suffering, advocating for awareness and critical thinking rather than passive consumption.
7. Describe the game in 3 sentences or in the form of a haiku. Laughter meets disaster. Cards reveal careless systems. Jokes that leave a mark

Cast Your Vote

1. What made the experience fun or not? The game is engaging because it’s fast, choice-driven, and immediately shows the consequences of your decisions. It isn’t traditionally fun though, the seriousness and pressure can feel stressful rather than entertaining.
2. What is the motivating factor to get or keep players playing? Curiosity about outcomes motivates players to keep going, especially seeing how small choices shift public opinion or results. The desire to “do better” in future runs also encourages replay.
3. Is the game persuasive, and what is it trying to get you to do outside of the game? Yes, the game is persuasive as it encourages players to think critically about voting, political participation, and civic responsibility. Outside the game, it nudges players to be more informed and engaged citizens.
4. What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The game uses voting as a metaphor for power and responsibility in democracy. Its standout mechanics are choice based decision making, limited information, and immediate cause and effect feedback.
5. How does the gameplay make you feel? Who does the game make you feel empathy for? The gameplay can feel tense and overwhelming, mirroring real political pressure. It builds empathy for voters and marginalized groups affected by political outcomes.
6. Is the game an activist game? If so what does the game play advocate for? Yes, it is an activist game that advocates for civic engagement, informed voting, and awareness of political systems. It emphasizes that participation has real consequences.
7. Describe the game in 3 sentences or in the form of a haiku. Choices mark the screen. Democracy feels fragile. Silence still decides.

5 game ideas:

1. You play as a junior White House policy analyst in a near-future U.S. where climate tech can only save some neighborhoods from collapse. Each briefing forces you to translate raw data into human consequences, families displaced, communities erased, political backlash ignored.
2. A sci-fi surveillance system predicts “economic failure zones.” You’re assigned to a low-class neighborhood flagged for “controlled decline.” Your job is to decide where to place limited resources, schools, clinics, power nodes, knowing every choice accelerates neglect somewhere else.
3. A classified AI claims it can prevent future uprisings by quietly relocating certain populations. You work in a White House basement approving or rejecting relocation requests from “undesirable” districts.
4. A citywide communication blackout hits only low-income districts after a failed experimental energy grid. From inside the White House, you coordinate rescue, but misinformation, political pressure, and limited drones distort reality.
5. Players uncover a fictional leaked White House initiative called Project Empath, a sci-fi program designed to optimize social stability by testing policies on marginalized neighborhoods first.