Mainstream games, such as Monopoly and Settlers of Catan, instill competition among players while also normalizing capitalist and settler-colonial relations with the world. Meanwhile tools used in “community engagement” and “participatory design” in architecture, design, and planning fields make attempts at community collaboration yet are unable to hold institutions accountable. After introducing students to current participatory design practices, the studio asks what if we could design games to enhance grassroots collaborative processes held by and for the community ? Students will develop a set of specifications for game rules and components that build collaboration, imagine just relations, source materials ethically and sustainably, and challenge the systems in which public design projects are conducted. Participants in this class will learn with one another by analyzing existing games, learning about both injustices and liberatory practices from histories of BIPOC communities, prototyping their own games, and playtesting them on campus.
Key words: Participatory Design, Community Engagement, Game Design
 

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Preference is given to Industrial Design Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design