Towards Ludic Truths & Affective Interaction: The Rhetoric of Social Change Games

Social change games (SGCs) address a number of issues ranging from poverty and homelessness, to refugee crises and human rights. They strive to function as tools for social justice: capturing differences and inequalities, challenging status quo, and stimulating change. However, little is known about how these games work and what kind of rhetorical strategies they use. This study examines SGCs specifically related to humanitarian issues. Game design patterns are used as an analytical tool for understanding these games. The design patterns were instantiated from gameplaying and the consistent observation of mechanisms pertaining to these games. Through our analysis, we identified key organizational patterns driving the games forward, through reconstructing personal experiences, or through the design of a documentary narrative and subsequent gameplay. Thereafter a number of patterns sustaining the games are further defined: those conveying the authenticity of issues presented in the games, stimulating players’ emotions, and bridging the game to the players’ world. We discuss how these games are situated within a framework of humanitarian rhetoric and thereupon function to captivate players. Then, we discuss issues and limitations of SGCs. SCGs should engage players in a journey of transformation and stimulate change. Thus, by elaborating these game patterns, we aim to provide conceptual tools for critical reflection and to support the design of engaging SCGs.