Critical Gameplay: Critical Game Design in Practice

Critical Gameplay

Practice Playing Differently

Overview: Critical Game Play

Started in 2009, this project aims to showcase critical game design through game mechanics. The project pioneers the design of critical game projects highlighting social and ludic bias. Critical gameplay provides the opportunity to explore game ethics through the way games are designed to be played. Since game designers outline the rules of play, game designs outline designer’s definitions of what is ethical and important.

Taking the notion that, design is reflection of designer values, the games aim to provide a fresh perspective on playful experiences. The work aims to expose intrinsic values in play and creating gameplay models from alternative ethics and values.

Further reading on this work is available as follows:

Grace, L. 2014. Critical Games: Critical Design in Independent Games. In Proceedings of the 7th Digital Games Research Association Conference (Digra 2014), Salt Lake City, Utah
Grace, L. 2010. Critical Gameplay: Design Techniques and Case Studies, Designing Games for Ethics, Volume II, IGI Global (2010)- [pdf]
Grace, L. 2011. Discomfort Design: Critical Reflection through Uncomfortable Play, 17th International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA), Istanbul, Turkey
Grace, L. 2011. Understanding the Art Practice of Critical Gameplay Designs, 17th International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA), Istanbul, Turkey
Grace, L. 2011. Critical Gameplay Gone Critically Wrong, 7th Games, Learning and Society Conference (ETC Press), Madison, USA
Grace, L. 2010. Software Studies in Computer Gameplay (Media Showcase and Demo Panel), 28th Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI - ACM), Atlanta, USA
Grace, L. 2014. You: a poetic game about meaning making and absence. In Proceedings of the 11th Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology (ACE '14). ACM, New York, NY, USA, , Article 66 , 4 pages. DOI=10.1145/2663806.2663811 http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2663806.2663811
Grace, L. 2016. Subverting the Conventions of Affection Games in the Digital Wild. International Symposium of Electronic Art, Hong Kong

How do games effect the way we problem solve, socialize, or even view the world? When we shoot do we learn to destroy obstacles instead of work around them? Does the binary world of enemies and adversaries teach us to ignore the gray in the everyday? Do games encourage us to ignore consequence and wait for second chances at the same problems? Are we forgetting how to play with each other, because playing against each other is more fun?

Critical Gameplay is a collection of "strategically designed" video games. Each game asks what common game mechanics teach us. The games in the collection are designed to help reevaluate our perspective on gameplay experiences. As Critical Cartography changes the way we perceive the world, Critical Gameplay seeks to offer alternate perspectives on the way we play.

Critical Gameplay does not attempt to answer these questions. Instead it seeks to open the dialogue with demonstrative experiments in gameplay. It attempts to fill the space of what if, with something tangible - a game. What if that avatar did have a history before you destroyed it? What if you couldn’t read the game world by stereotyping characters? Critical Gameplay is simply about raising questions that encourage critical reflection on gameplay experiences. A Critical Gameplay game is valued in intellectual profit.

Each game was designed and implemented between 2009 and 2019, in one week or less. Some games have been re-implemented for modern operating systems under the same constrants as the original.

Each of the following games was developed under rapid prototyping constraints, by a single developer, designer and artist, Lindsay Grace. Each game was originally developed in 5 days or less, but may be subject to minor revisions for individual exhibitions or conversion to new platforms. The games return to the romantic notion of a lone-developer making a game late into the night. They are designed as art explorations in critical game design.

Wait

A game about slowing down ...

Big Huggin'

An affection game, encouraging players to solve problems one hug at a time...

Healer

Practice undoing historical atrocity instead of reenacting it...

Simultaneity / All 4 One

Practice finding mutual benefit... play now

Stolen Kisses

Practice going against the generally non-inclusive culture of affection games... play web version now

You, A Very Meaningful Game

Practice finding the elusive meaning in meaningful play ... play now

Levity

Practice letting go and collecting experience over items ...

Black/White

Practice letting go and collecting experience over items ...

EveryDay Heroes: Home

Practice accepting difference you can't classify ...

Charity

Practice cooperating instead of competing ...

Bang!

View the fictive history of the soldiers you kill...

This game is poo

A lampoon of the mobile app marketplaces...

Exhibitions and Showcases

The following is a list of select exhibits and showcases at which Critical Gameplay games were shown. For a complete list of the artist's exhibitions please visit ProfessorGrace.com

2019:International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling (ICIDS) Exhibition, University of Utah, Snowbird, Utah, USA:
- *Critical Gameplay: Healer (Custom game controller)

2018: Critical Gameplay: Healer (custom game cabinet), Miami @ Play, 155 South Miami, Miami
2018: Visiting Artist Solo Exhibit (custom mobile cabinet-UH built), University of Hawaii, Hilo, Hawaii :
- Critical Gameplay: A Very Meaningful Game
- Critical Gameplay: Big Huggin'
- Critical Gameplay: Black Like Me
2018: International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling (ICIDS) Exhibition, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland:
- Critical Gameplay: Wait
2018: Various in "Nothing on the Walls", Bradley University, Illinois:
- Critical Gameplay: Wait
- Critical Gameplay: You
- Critical Gameplay: Healer
- Critical Gameplay: Black Like Me
- Critical Gameplay: This Game is Poo
2018: GEMS Miami Film Festival, Miami, Florida:
- Critical Gameplay: Big Huggin'
- Critical Gameplay: Wait (Arcade Cabinet)
2018: Critical Gameplay: This Game is Poo, Different Games, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcestor, Massachusetts
2018: Critical Gameplay: Wait, Error an exhibition at Gdynia Design Days, Poland
2018: Critical Gameplay: Wait , Dizzy Spell, Buntport Theater, Denver, CO

2017: Critical Gameplay: Big Huggin-- A Bear for Affection Gaming' File Festival, São Luís, Maranhão

2016: Critical Gameplay: Big Huggin-- A Bear for Affection Gaming' 13th File Electronic Language Festival International Independent Games Exhibit, Sao Paulo, Brazil

2015 Critical Gameplay: Big Huggin', Games for Change Indie Booth, New York, New York, USA

2014 Critical Gameplay: Big Huggin', Indies from the Middle, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC, USA
2014 Critical Gameplay: You, A Very Meaningful Game, Advances in Computer Entertainment (ACE2014), Funchal, Madeira
2014 Critical Gameplay: You International Digital Media Arts Exhibit (IDEAS),Salt Lake City, Utah
2014 Art-Science Museum, International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling (ICIDS)- Exhibition, Art-Science Museum, Singapore
- Critical Gameplay: You,
- Critical Gameplay: Bang! (video),
2014 Critical Gameplay: Black Like Me, Computer Arts Congress / Nano Federal University, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
2014 Critical Gameplay: You Blank Arcade @ DiGRA, Salt Lake City, Utah
2014 Critical Gameplay: You Artscape (Gamescape), Baltimore, Maryland
~2014 Critical Gameplay: Big Huggin, The Aesthetics of Gameplay, ACM SIGGRAPH Digital Arts Community (DAC)
2014 9th Annual Foundations of Digital Games Conference:
Critical Gameplay: Big Huggin'
Critical Gameplay: Stolen Kisses
2014 Black Like Me, Magfest, National Harbor, Maryland

2013 Black Like Me, Advances in Computer Entertainment, University of Twente, Netherlands
2013 Black Like Me, International Digital Media Arts Exhibit (IDEAS), Laguna Beach, California
2013 Boston Festival of Independent Games, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Massachusetts:
- Critical Gameplay: Wait
- Conversations
- Music Box (Video loop)
2013 Critical Gameplay: Big Huggin' Artscape (Gamescape), Baltimore, Maryland
2013 Critical Gameplay: Big Huggin 5th Annual Game Play Festival, Brick Theater, Brooklyn, New York
*2013 Critical Gameplay: Wait 2013 Games for Change (Babycastles Hall of Fame), New York, New York
2013 You, A Very Meaningful Game 9th Games Learning and Society Conference Art Exhibit, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
2013 Critical Gameplay: Big Huggin' CHI 2013, Paris, France
2013 Critical Gameplay: Wait 2013 Different Games Exhibit, NYU Polytechnic Institute, New York, New York

2012 Computer Art Congress 2012, 104 (centquatre), Paris, France
- Critical Gameplay: Wait
- Critical Gameplay: Levity
- Critical Gameplay: Big Huggin'
- Critical Gameplay: Black/White
2012 Meaningful Play Serious Games Conference, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan:
- Critical Gameplay: Big Huggin'
- Miami Mini Golf
2012 Music Box, File Electronic Language Festival, Sao Paulo, Brazil
*2012 Big Huggin', Artscape:Gamescape, Baltimore, Maryland
2012 Big Huggin' (Critical Gameplay), 8th Games, Learning and Society Conference, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

2011 7th Games Learning and Society Conference Art Exhibit, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin:
- Critical Gameplay: Wait
- Music Box
- Polyglot Cubed
- Conversations Lite

2010 8th Annual International Digital Media and Art Association Art Exhibit (IDEAS), Emily Carr University, Vancouver B.C.
- 2010 Critical Gameplay: Healer
- Conversations Lite
2010 Contrast(digital photography), New Bedford Art Museum, New Bedford, Massachusetts (non-juried, curated)
2010 Meaningful Play, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan:
- Critical Gameplay: Wait
- Critical Gameplay: Healer
- Critical Gameplay: Levity
2010 Software Studies in Computer Gameplay (Media Showcase and Demo Panel), 28th Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI), Atlanta, Georgia

2009 International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology, Athens, Greece
Critical Gameplay: Wait
Critical Gameplay: Levity
Critical Gameplay: Black/White
2009 Critical Gameplay: Wait, 7th Annual International Digital Media and Art Association (IDEAS), Ball State University Gallery, Muncie, Indiana
2009 Critical Gameplay: Wait, SBGames 2009 Arts Exhibition, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2009 Music Box, SBGames 2009 Arts Exhibition, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2009 Critical Gameplay, Solo Game Exhibition, 1100 Cermak Gallery, Chicago, Illinois

Publications and Catalogs

The following is a list of selected publications about Critical Gameplay as well as exhibition catalogs. Please visit ProfessorGrace.com for a complete list of the artist's publications and wider art practice.

Book Chapter

Grace, L. 2010. Critical Gameplay: Design Techniques and Case Studies, Designing Games for Ethics, Volume II, IGI Global (2010)- [pdf]

Conference Proceedings

Grace, L. 2016. Subverting the Conventions of Affection Games in the Digital Wild. International Symposium of Electronic Art, Hong Kong

Grace, L. 2015. Objects of Affection: Kissing Games on Mobile Devices. Foundations of Digital Games (FDG) 2015, Society for the Advancement of the Science of Digital Games, Pacific Grove, California, USA

Grace, L. 2013. Big Huggin' a Case Study in Affection Gaming, 6th Digital Games Research Association Conference (Digra 2013), Atlanta, Georgia

Grace, L. 2013. Big Huggin' Affection Gaming. In Proceedings of the 31st of the international Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (Paris, France, April 29 - May 2, 2013). CHI EA '13. ACM, New York, NY, 3025-3030.

Grace, L. 2012. Designing Games to Critique Convention, In Proceedings of the 20th ACM Multimedia, October 2012

Grace, L. 2011. Discomfort Design: Critical Reflection through Uncomfortable Play, 17th International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA), Istanbul, Turkey

Grace, L. 2011. Understanding the Art Practice of Critical Gameplay Designs, 17th International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA), Istanbul, Turkey

Grace, L. 2011. Critical Gameplay Gone Critically Wrong, 7th Games, Learning and Society Conference (ETC Press), Madison, USA

Grace, L. 2010. Software Studies in Computer Gameplay (Media Showcase and Demo Panel), 28th Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI - ACM), Atlanta, USA

Grace, L. 2014. You: a poetic game about meaning making and absence. In Proceedings of the 11th Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology (ACE '14). ACM, New York, NY, USA, , Article 66 , 4 pages. DOI=10.1145/2663806.2663811 http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2663806.2663811
Grace, L. 2014. Critical Games: Critical Design in Independent Games. In Proceedings of the 7th Digital Games Research Association Conference (Digra 2014), Salt Lake City, Utah

Exhibit Catalogs

Grace, L, Tran, L. and Ewing, C. 2019, Miami @ Play 2018, exhibition catalogue, December 1-7, 2018, 50 pages, ISBN 9781365245749

Totten, C. and Grace, L 2016, Indie Arcade: Coast to Coast, exhibition catalogue, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC, USA ISBN 978-1364585259

Critical Gameplay: You, A Very Meaningful Game in 2014 Annual International Digital Media and Art Association Catalog, pg 65, Curator: Dave Beck (University of Wisconsin-Stout) , Utah Valley University, Utah, USA
Critical Gameplay: Healer in 8th Annual International Digital Media and Art Association Catalog, Curator: Dena Elisabeth Eber (Ball State University) , Emily Carr University, Vancouver B.C. (pp. 20) (catalogue, curated by Dena Eber)