Please take some time to play and explore the games linked for your group below prior to the video conference. (You only need play the games assigned for your group, not all of them.).
Here’s the best process by which to prepare for our video conference:
- Look at the focus questions (below) so as to put your gaming experience within an academic and rhetorical context
- Read the context/links to better understand the game’s rhetorical situation, purpose, audience, and authors.
- Click on the “play” link to play the game.
- As you play, pause occasionally to jot down a few notes to help provide a foundation for the group analysis that you will be doing during the video conference. If there is no pause/resume feature on the game, write your notes after completely a level or the game. Bring those notes with you to the video conference.
- Recommended playing time for each game: no longer than 10 minutes (even if you do not beat the game). If you play for longer than 10 minutes, that no longer counts as preparation – that just counts as fun!
Focus questions to consider as you review the games assigned for your group:
- Think about argument: What argument does the game implicitly make through its design and gameplay?
- Think about rhetorical situation: author, text, audience, rhetorical appeals.
- Author. Who created the game or what organization sponsors it? How does the identity of the game designer influence your understanding of the game’s argument and cultural assumptions?
- Audience. Who is the intended audience of the game? How can you tell? Through the gameplay (i.e., simplicity or complexity of game design)? Through the graphic design? Through in-game references?
- Text. What type of game is it? For instance:
- A shooter game (which involves shooting weapons at targets)?
- A role-playing game (which asks the player to take on a specific identity and then engage in a “story” as that character)?
- A strategy game (which asks the gamer to think through multiple options and strategize during gameplay)?
- A simulation game (where the gamer explores a simulated scenario or event)?
A game might contain one or more of these elements. How do these design choices affect and/or determine the argument that the game makes?
- Rhetorical appeals. To what extent is the game driven by pathos (trying to produce an emotional connection with the audience)? By ethos (working through appeals to authority or credibility)? By logos (trying to appeal through facts and reason)? How does the kairos of the game factor into the success of its argument?
- Think about cultural values.
- How does the game reflect or construct cultural values or doxa? Through underlying assumptions, characterization, graphic design, options provided to players in the game?
- What is the argument it makes implicitly (or explicitly) through its gameplay and design, and how does that reinforce or shape cultural values (through nomos – imposing new cultural values on an audience)?
Groups and Games
GROUP A: Human Rights
- Homeland Guantanamos
- Context: Webpage at
- Play: (game appears in the center screen; appears more quickly if you click on “skip intro”)
- Ayiti: The Cost of Life:
- Context: Webpage at
- Play:
Group B. Public Health and Poverty
- Homeless
- Play:
- Spent
- Context:
- Play:
- Free Rice
- Context: Description at
- Play:
Group C. Environmental Issues and Natural Resources
- Energyville
- Context: Description at
- Play:
- Oiligarchy
- Context: Description of the company that made it at The company’s extended description of the game:
- Play: NOTE: Do not click on the Group
D. Global Politics & Global Conflict
- Darfur is Dying
- Context: Website: (Be sure to read “About the Game” and follow links also for “Background” and “Take Action”)
- Play:
- The Orange Revolution
- Play:
Group E. War and Peace
September 12th
o Context: Description at
o Play:
Raid Gaza.
o Play:
- Nuclear Weapons: The Peace Dove Game
- Context: Website at
- Play:
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