FedExodus

Game Designer Statement

Nathan Batty

As a graduate student, I consistently hear feedback that I do not need to pursue a PhD to work in game design. The people who give this advice are not wrong. If anything, the fault in this logic is my failure to communicate what makes my approach to and goals for game design different. My goal as a game designer is to create serious games steeped in theories of change and liberation that create spaces where the oppressed and oppressors can access and understand each other’s perspectives without fear of retaliation.

My trauma-informed care and education background allowed me to practice what Paolo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed identifies as the reflective cycle of theory and action. I took theoretical frameworks from educational and therapeutic academic fields and applied them to create a sensitive and responsive teaching environment. I will do the same as a game designer. By becoming an expert in the theories of game design, change, and liberation, I will be prepared to enter a career in serious game development.

Currently, my design interests are singularly focused on making space for polyamorous perspectives. The analog game Polycule is a work-in-progress attempt to harness what Pennell calls “transgressive capital” in her work Queer Cultural Capital. Transgressive capital is the ability to push the boundary on what society deems acceptable. Polyamorous relationships transgress the norm of monogamy. A game is a method for attempting double stimulation. Double stimulation is an idea brought forth by Bang et. al in Community Based Design Research. Double stimulation attempts to create space for the discussion of a problem. In the case of Polycule, the problem is that monogamous relationships are not the only or best way for people to live fulfilling, intimate lives. The end state of Polycule creates a potential solution. The solution intends to drive the players towards a discussion on whether the solution is feasible and what it might look like. This discussion is the second part of double stimulation.

As a game designer, I will strive to create serious games that expose people to new perspectives and solutions to problems. I will push players to see others as fully human and value their diversity. Players of my games should leave a playthrough feeling that their worldview has expanded and with a deeper connection to their fellow participants.