Identities at Play
(DES 399)
DES 399 - Special Topics in Game Design (Identities at Play)
Units: 3.00
In this course, we examine how the social structures of our societies affect how the games we make and play reinforce or subvert societal understandings of community, difference, and identity, as well as how games operate as spaces in which our identities are socially performed. We'll draw on theorists in Sociology, Communications, and Media Studies to empower you to make informed, empathetic design decisions that provide space for both your own voice and those of others.
Time Taken: Spring 2024
This course was focused around inclusivity in games, as well as the history of how games have been both percieved and affected by the world around them
This was the second project of the class, being to create a solution to include someone in a game genre that would otherwise be excluded. This was largely much more informal compared to the academic essay structure of Project 1.
I covered allowing someone with slower reflexes to better compete in online multiplayer shooter games, with my solution being to increase the size of projectiles fired by players over time. This would non-proportionally improve players' performance that aren't able to hit shots as well while not affecting how more skilled players play the game.