Designing Worlds for Change Interactive Entertainment as a Force for Social Justice

Before we can build a better world, we must first be able to imagine it. Game design, with its inherent capacity for creating alternate realities and interactive narratives, offers a profound medium for sharing visions of a more just and equitable future. While not always immediately apparent, games, through their immersive visuals and compelling storylines, possess a unique power to drive cultural transformation.

By immersing players in diverse virtual environments and allowing them to embody characters with different perspectives, games can serve as incisive tools for social critique. They foster empathy, challenge our assumptions, and offer compelling blueprints for utopian societies. As Zachary Walter, chair of the undergraduate Game Arts program at California College of the Arts (CCA), notes, "Games are immersive and interactive, which make them a highly impactful art form—games can act as catalysts for change in the real world."

Today's progressive game designers are increasingly creating experiences that reflect the multifaceted nature of our world and propose solutions for a more just society. "Artists are pushing boundaries of what the game experience can be," Walter adds, highlighting a growing trend in the industry.

The Rise of Social Justice Game Design

The landscape of critically acclaimed games increasingly engages with vital themes such as diversity and inclusion, climate change, and mental health. These games encourage players to question ingrained biases and open their minds to alternative ways of understanding and interacting with the world.

A seminal example is Brenda Romero's Train (2009). This complex board game confronts players with their potential complicity within oppressive systems. While initially appearing as a strategy game about transporting passengers, players gradually realize the game is set during World War II, with the passengers destined for Nazi death camps, thereby forcing a profound ethical reckoning.

Another impactful work is Howling Dogs, an award-winning Twine game by trans game designer and writer Porpentine. This game explores the devastating effects of trauma through a visceral experience where a player confined to a cell can escape into a vibrant alternate reality, making the return to the bleak cell even more difficult as it physically degrades. The game offers catharsis for survivors of abuse and deepens understanding for others.

The nonprofit organization Games for Change actively champions ethical gaming by promoting social change through its annual festival, educational initiatives, and funding for game design projects that tackle contemporary social issues.

Recent award winners from Games for Change festivals include Sea of Solitude, an adventure game about overcoming loneliness; Prism, designed to foster empathy in neurotypical children for their autistic peers; Tree, which allows players to experience the natural world and climate change from the perspective of a tree; Resilience, a city-building game that cultivates empathy for refugees; and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, which immerses players in the mental health struggles of its protagonist.

Fostering Change Through Game Design Education

At institutions like CCA, the Game Arts curriculum is deeply infused with the inquiry: "What impact can game makers have on culture and society?" Students are encouraged to critically analyze existing games, identifying how they might perpetuate harmful gender norms, racial stereotypes, and power imbalances. For instance, in the Gaming and Play studio, students create satirical games to critique problematic elements in other games. Alpha Male, a student-created game, directly addresses problematic gender dynamics and challenges patriarchal structures prevalent in mainstream gaming.

CCA actively promotes Game Arts students to tell their unique stories and forge new narrative paths, moving beyond established tropes in game worlds. Walter observes, "Our student body is diverse and so they make games with diverse points of view. They are eager to tackle important issues and to increase representation within the world of gaming."

This commitment manifests in projects like an augmented reality game centered on a queer romance, a game designed by an international student about navigating the complexities of obtaining a U.S. student visa, and studio projects dedicated to exploring environmental justice issues. Furthermore, CCA facilitates interactions between students and local game artists who leverage their craft for social advocacy, inspiring students to find their authentic voices and innovate within the field, embodying CCA's motto: "Make Art That Matters."

Source Insight: This report was curated based on original coverage from cca.edu.

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