Values at Play in Digital Games is released

Our lab director Mary Flanagan and her long time collaborator Helen Nissenbaum are proud to announce the release of Values at Play in Digital Games, just published by MIT Press! The book starts from the idea that human principles, or values, are already embedded in any game. They then present a practical framework for not only identifying values in games, but guiding designers to design for values in their work.

Screen Shot 2014-06-06 at 22.12.33

Inspired by the Value-Sensitive Design community and critical technical practice proponents, the authors started this values-centered game design movement with the Values at Play project, which features a curriculum, video interviews with designers, free design tools, and more.

The book includes mini-chapters by noted game designers and thinkers like Frank Lantz, the Director of the NYU Game Center; Tracy Fullerton, chair of USC’s Interactive Media and Games Division; Celia Pearce, Associate Professor of Game Design at Northeastern University, Karen Schrier, Assistant Professor at Marist College, and game designer Kyle Rentschler. Jonathan Belman also co-authors a chapter.

Game designer Richard Lemarchand says of the book, “Values at Play in Digital Games gives the reader a powerful set of tools for examining the cultural, ethical, and political meanings of video games, and reminds us that a consideration of the values embodied in digital play is an integral part of the game design process.”

Values at Play in Digital Games is available from Amazon here.