New Paths in Game Design, Accessibility, Explored in Journal of Games, Self, and Society
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xploring existential ideas as part of the game design process may yield new perspectives that result in games that offer lasting transformation to players, according to research featured in the latest issue of the Journal of Games, Self, and Society, published by iThrive Games Foundation and ETC Press.
Professor Doris C. Rusch, a game designer and researcher at Uppsala University in Sweden and the author of Making Deep Games - Designing Games with Meaning and Purpose draws on literature from existential psychotherapy and mythmaking, urging game designers to create new myths in their games to explore existential ideas—such as freedom, isolation, or death—in pursuit of finding meaning.
The issue also features an article by Professors Matthew Farber and Mia Williams and colleagues, who examine how facilitated game design can be used to support teens in exploring and expressing their lived experiences, as well as how systems are structured.
New research by graduate student Sasha Soriane and Professor Jacque Carette aims to fill a gap in the literature around the accessibility of mechanical challenges in games.
Two papers in this issue provide case studies of two games, one by Professor Gareth Schott exploring how digital games can serve as a memorial following the death of a loved one, and one by Professor Andrew Phelps and colleagues examining how game mechanics can be used in novel ways to represent the human experience.
The journal's editor-in-chief, Susan Rivers, Ph.D., who is also the Executive Director and Chief Scientist at iThrive Games Foundation, says that she hopes the interdisciplinary research will support continued deep learning about the power of game design and gameplay.
I anticipate the creativity, innovation, and design choices put forth by the scholars and designers included in this issue will impact the field, she said.
✔️ New Paths in Game Design, Accessibility, Explored in Journal of Games, Self, and Society
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