A Design Framework for Learning About Representation in Video Games Through Modification of Narrative and Gameplay

Abstract

In this paper, I provide an overview of a dissertation project that examines gameplay modification as a method for exploring queer representation in video games. First, I offer an overview of my research goals and the project itself. I then provide a brief outline of the game that is a major component of my dissertation. Next, I discuss the theoretical framework that informs the narrative design of the game to highlight sources that are important to my approach. Finally, I outline my current results, status, and the next steps I will take in the project. The goal of my dissertation is to find out whether players can effectively explore queer representation in video games by playing and modifying a game I built in the Ink scripting language called Life in the Megapocalypse. Overall, I argue that gameplay modification is an effective framework for exploring critical concepts because it allows players to model solutions to issues like problematic portrayals of queerness in gaming by implementing those solutions within the game’s code.