games colonialism: cultural assumptions in serious game design
DESCRIPTION
Games are uniquely pliable systems. They can be used to generate empathy towards a situation by allowing players to inhabit parts of a topic, and contextualize the larger issue from a personalized perspective. In leveraging games to impact environmental, social and economic issues, games are taken to a variety of unfamiliar cultures where game elements inhabit very different roles from those in the west, resulting in a new form of colonialism. In this 15 minute presentation, I elaborate on the assumptions that social impact game proponents bring to the field of games and humanitarian work and the problems that arise as a result of them. As co-founder of a game design studio that makes games for beneficiaries of humanitarian organizations, I’m perpetually confronting the challenge of increasing popularization of games as a method of communication amid the lack of best practices for using them in these fraught arenas. Game based learning is fast replacing the hackneyed workshop format, the core intended recipients of which are either small communal groups entrenched in folk customs and traditional belief systems, or impoverished urban communities. When constructing interactive communication tools (such as games) for such a diverse group, it is necessary to study their cultural morés and social etiquette to find common themes that can be used to encourage empathy towards the topic. In this situation games are used as metaphors to explain the topic presented, and since effective metaphors are analogous to the audience, it is important to chose efficient analogies. By choosing an analogy that is negative to that community, such as dice which are solely associated with gambling in many cultures, the reach of the game is reduced, impacting the effectiveness of the overall project goals. A second impediment to constructing effective game-interactions on a community level is the process of project development. From experience in the humanitarian sector dealing with climate change, games are vetted by a hierarchy of scientists, project managers, and administrative staff. All of whom have a deep understanding of the core topic being represented though the games, but have completely different cultural expectations from the medium of games. As a result, the end product is finessed and tailored to satisfy a target audience that has very little in common to the end-audience. Humanitarian organizations have an existing culture of talking down to these communities instead of talking with them. Aid constructs a hierarchy of givers and receivers, where the receiver is seen as a victim needing help, but incapable of providing any input into the process. What steps can organizations take to overcome these challenges? What is the relevance of games to cross cultural humanitarian and social justice work given these limitations? What considerations should be taken by designers when creating these types of games?TRANSCRIPT
GAMES COLONIALISM
Cultural Assumptions in Serious Game Design
Who am I?
MOHINI DUTTA
MOHINI DUTTA I am Indian
MOHINI DUTTA
I got into games in NYC
I am Indian
MOHINI DUTTA
I got into games in NYC
At Parsons,
I am Indian
I make Serious Games
I make Serious Games
Explain complex ideas
I use them to
Explain complex ideas Begin a conversation
I use them to
Explain complex ideas Begin a conversation Get folks to care about stuff
I use them to
SUMMER 2012
SUMMER 2012
INDONESIA PHILIPPINES KENYA
GOAL 1/ INTRODUCE SERIOUS
GAMES
GOAL 2/ HELP LOCAL NGO’S
INCREASE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT USING GAMES
We started with some physical games, and everyone was into it
THEN SOMETHING WEIRD HAPPENED
One of the games had a ton of dice
…suddenly, folks got weird…
Many Indonesians are Muslim
Gambling is a very serious sin in Islam
DICE=GAMBLING
GAMBLING=DAMNATION
How did we not realize this??
We are playing a betting game here
OMG, 2 OF THE 3 GAMES ARE GAMBLING STYLE
Initial excitement about games slowly turns to wary concern
THIS IS TERRIBLE!
So, were the games bad?
Nope, these folks got into it
But this is the Philippines, they have a more western culture
GAMBLING IS NO BIGGIE HERE
So does that mean that Indonesians have no Game Culture?
We must teach them our games. Enlighten them.
Hold that thought
COLONIALISM The practice of domination, which involves the subjugation of one people to another.
GAMES COLONIALISM The practice of domination, which involves the cultural subjugation of one people to
the memes of another.
!?@!##
One group uses it’s media (games in this case) to
prioritize it’s cultural tastes and make it the norm for
everyone.
So when another culture doesn’t relate to yours, it
isn’t your fault, it is theirs.
And now it is your responsibility to teach them the “proper” way
THEM
US
THE othering of diverse voices leaves the dominant
voice with the quick, dismissive excuse
THEY just don’t get it.
But surely games don’t do that. They are fun!
Games are serious business.
We can have a cultural impact. We can effect how people think about things
FARMERAMA’s digital drought on World Drought Day
Let’s revisit Indonesia, remember their little issue with gambling.
SO DOES THAT MEAN INDONESIANS HAVE NO GAME CULTURE?
THEY JUST HAVE A DIFFERENT CULTURE OF PLAY
Beach Pencak Silat 2008 Asian Beach Games, Bali, Indonesia.
MOMENT OF TRUTH
I AM A COLONIALIST
Gandhi must be turning in his grave...
I participated in this cycle of cultural oppression by failing to recognize the
problem.
My own game design practice is so tied in with western-style game
culture, that I just couldn’t see beyond it.
LET’S DO A LITTLE EXERCISE.
You are a farmer in South Sulawesi
You had it good for generations.
EVERY. SINGLE. SEASON.
Your traditional forecasting methods are
all off.
But you don’t know why
Because climate science is complicated, and you can’t understand it.
Some people come by sometimes, and try to explain why it keeps flooding
But all you understand from them is PLANT MORE MANGROVES
But all you understand from them is PLANT MORE MANGROVES
& DON’T CUT THE TREES!
WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?? It makes no sense to you.
WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?? It makes no sense to you.
That timber feeds your family when the floods take all the rice crop.
They use some big words to tell you why it is all so important
They use some big words to tell you why it is all so important
But you don’t really understand any of it.
They use some big words to tell you why it is all so important
But you don’t really understand any of it. They have charts, but they look boring.
They use some big words to tell you why it is all so important
But you don’t really understand any of it. They have charts, but they look boring.
Plus, you are sleepy now.
Well, this was a waste of time.
Well, this was a waste of time. You mostly came here for the free food.
Well, this was a waste of time. You mostly came here for the free food.
…and most of it is gone already.
Well, this was a waste of time. You mostly came here for the free food.
…and most of it is gone already. So you doze off for the rest of it.
GAMES CAN HELP.
GAMES CAN HELP.
Participants can embody the system and understand cause and effect.
GAMES CAN HELP.
Participants can embody the system and understand cause and effect.
Instead of passively sitting and listening to science jargon
GAMES CAN HELP.
Participants can embody the system and understand cause and effect.
Instead of passively sitting and listening to science jargon This can be empowering!
But when this happens:
…and we use the wrong interface for the wrong audience
It reduces the experience to moral anxiety.
It reduces the experience to moral anxiety.
And makes the facilitators appear callous and uninterested
THE MESSAGE SENT IS:
We don’t understand your culture
THE MESSAGE SENT IS:
We don’t understand your culture …and we don’t care.
THE MESSAGE SENT IS:
We don’t understand your culture …and we don’t care.
We know better, and that’s all you need to know.
WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?
A large part of popular game culture is predominantly American or Eurocentric.
WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?
HOW ARE SERIOUS GAMES GETTING MADE?
Western funding for fund western designers to make games for a third party.
HOW ARE SERIOUS GAMES GETTING MADE?
Western style games use dice/cards ubiquitously
It is a stylistic choice that influences the design of these games.
WHY IS THAT RELEVANT?
Game Designers work in cultural isolation from their end user.
THE SYSTEMIC ISSUES
Game Designers work in cultural isolation from their end user.
Content experts are academics who are also far removed from interacting with the end user.
THE SYSTEMIC ISSUES
So does anyone verify the effectively of these games with the end user?
THE SYSTEMIC ISSUES
So does anyone verify the effectively of these games with the end user? Not really.
THE SYSTEMIC ISSUES
So does anyone verify the effectively of these games with the end user? Not really.
So the entire workflow is based on assumptions about the target audience’s culture.
THE SYSTEMIC ISSUES
So does anyone verify the effectively of these games with the end user? Not really.
So the entire workflow is based on assumptions about the target audience’s culture. Yup.
THE SYSTEMIC ISSUES
External aid is a hierarchal system
Composed of “Givers” and “Receivers”
WE ASSUME IT WORKS FOR THEM
WE ASSUME IT WORKS FOR THEM,
This system rewards the ACT of giving more than the actual content of the gift
So, critique of the aid provided is unusual.
REMEMBER THIS DEBACLE?
SO, WE ARE MAKING GAMES FOR OURSELVES?
SO, WE ARE MAKING GAMES FOR OURSELVES?
Pretty much.
AND THEY ARE BEST AT MAKING US FEEL BETTER ABOUT HAVING HELPED?
AND THEY ARE BEST AT MAKING US FEEL BETTER ABOUT HAVING HELPED?
Not quite, but basically.
BUT DON’T WE ALSO NEED TO UNDERSTAND AND EMPATHIZE WITH THE PEOPLE WE ARE
TRYING TO HELP?
THE ISSUE IS, RIGHT NOW THE END USER IS THE LAST PRIORITY
Sure, but then let’s make games meant to do just that.
THE ISSUE IS, RIGHT NOW THE END USER IS THE LAST PRIORITY
But that’s just bad design!
THE ISSUE IS, RIGHT NOW THE END USER IS THE LAST PRIORITY
But that’s just bad design! Think of the target audience!
THINK OF THE CHILDREN!
SERIOUS GAMES, DON’T BE SUCKY! Be awesome!
Be self-aware Be Critical
Listen before you teach. Don’t make excuses for games that fail
Accept your shortcomings Fix them.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
