We’ve been talking about player psychology to nudge us toward a better world for years and years. Journalists have even called this “social engineering.” That’s interesting, because games are intricate designed systems and typically, though not always, they are social. So social engineering may be an apt term for games in general, and not simply games that try to effect positive change.
Our research in bias is pushing ahead with thinking about implicit bias and stereotype threat. After the release of our recent paper “A psychologically “embedded” approach to designing games for prosocial causes,” which garnered national attention in the media, we’re currently working with digital and non-digital narratives to understand how these could help alleviate bias. And oooh, we have some really interesting data.
We’re also working on the prevention of sexual assault.
Currently we’re cooking up prototypes and heavily involving the student team who is really shining (three of the five featured above).
With games aplenty, two papers at CHI’16, and our games getting to players all over the planet, it couldn’t be a better January at Tilt! Happy 2016!