The Activist’s Game : How do intersectionally marginalised independent game designers contribute to social justice movements? How does their digital artistic practice disrupt archival practices?

• Main Author: Martin, Nina
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Malmö universitet, Institutionen för konst, kultur och kommunikation (K3) 2021
• Subjects: game design; intersectionality; digital archiving; social movements; storytelling; Media and Communications; Medie- och kommunikationsvetenskap; Cultural Studies; Kulturstudier
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-43418

This Degree Project (DP) focuses on an under-researched area in the field of ComDev, namely the study of entertaining games. It explores and asks how independent and intersectionally marginalised game designers contribute to social justice movements. The trajectory of this DP is informed by responses to an online survey with 49 diasporic gamers of colour in the socalled global North. The game design practices researched encompass artistic, technological and archival endeavours. These are positioned within the individualistic, community and societal factors surrounding the participants of this research. Seven independent game designers of colour in Europe and the US were interviewed via video calls and a Foucauldian Discourse Analysis is applied to analyse their responses. The literature review considers previous research on the potential and flaws of new technologies, on game design as an art practice, on art as a social movement and on community, identity and demography in games. The consequential theoretical framework is based on a Critical Race theoretical and practical approach. In a commitment to intersectionality it further applies queer theory and postcolonial theory as its pillars to conducting this subjectivist qualitative research. The findings suggest that game designers exist at the intersection of art, technology and industry and hold the agency to contribute to social movements. They may do so through an empowerment lens and community efforts, while not claiming the title of an activist per say. Through further research their contribution to development may be further explored.