Challenging Systems of Play: Towards game design ethics for transgender allyship

Abstract

Game design processes, just like games themselves, are infused with unconscious values which need to be made transparent to ensure a successful outcome. Building on previous studies in educational and queer game design, this paper critically reflects on the values of our game design process with Allied Forces, a game which aims to teach trans allyship to cisgender players. Using a personal account routed in reflective design and standpoint methodology, we describe our involvement as queer subject matter experts assisting in the development of a game focusing on cis education. Our discussion reflects on two dimensions of critical game design which we believe are suited to generate a better understanding of unconscious interpersonal dynamics in politically engaged, social justice-oriented game design. These are (1) external assumptions related to our expertise as queer designers, and (2) the internal labor and hidden costs of working as marginalized creators with and for cis players. Our observations regarding these emergent themes allow us to interrogate and make visible the hidden power dimensions which tend to drive social change-oriented educational game design more generally. Our contribution thus seeks to help marginalized creators identify and calculate the costs and benefits of participating in politically engaged game design, and to develop their own feasible strategies and voices as trans and nonbinary creators in collaborative game design spaces.