This is a concept for a learning based game designed by Najahwan Goode

Introduction: Racial microaggression is a phenomenon that has just gained notoriety in recent years due to its significance in America. I hope to create a game that will bring enlightenment to those who play it and give them a better understanding of what some people have to go through in this country. 

LEARNING ELEMENTS

The intent of the game is to raise awareness of the dangers of Racial Microaggressions in the United States and how it can affect Black adults as they enter the adult world. The experience goal for the player is to understand how difficult it can be dealing with Racial Microaggressions while trying to get one’s life together.

In this game the player will be put into situations where they have to have conversations that decide their future in the game. They have several choice options to choose from and select a choice with either a mouse click, or using the directional buttons on the keyboard. This in theory will support the learning objective because they will—if they play the game dutifully—have to think about their actions and afterward they will see how their actions in some cases will not even make a difference.

This game will mostly have cognitive, social, and behavioral effects on the player based upon the design. It attempts to engage a player cognitively, in realistic social situations. At the end of the different parts of the game the players’ responses will be compared to the Reaction Domains associated with racial microaggressions and the player will be able to see what their choice means as well as possible options for future incidents they encounter in real life that involve microaggressions.

 

FORMAL ELEMENTS

This game will be one player and consist of interactions between the player and Non-Player Characters. The primary objective is similar to that of the board game Life: where the goal is to have the most successful outcome possible. The difference here is that it will be a span of around 20 years instead of an entire life time. The game object will be to simulate the difficulties of trying to procure a successful future through the controversies of microaggressions.

The main rule is to make it to the end of the game (Age 40). A player can simulate parts of the game but if they do decisions will be made for them at random that may not be favorable. If a player is dies         (there are many way in which this can occur) gets life in prison, or does something that will result in them not being able to make it to age 40 or live as an emancipated individual by age 40 they lose. The procedure changes depending on the part the player is at. The scenarios change based upon age (ranges from 17 -40) and location (school, home, work, etc). The resources the player will acquire throughout their play through include material possession (cars, money etc), reputation, infamy, food, shelter, friends, and other relationships. The exchange of the resources that are material is up to the player, what they want/ need to spend their money on. The less tangible things like reputation and infamy are build or lost based upon the player’s choices of words in social environments in the game like conversations, and their actions like stealing or illegal activity.

Conflict in game is introduced by the players need to carry out daily activities like working, going to school, socializing, and other daily activities. How it is maintained or resolved is then up to the player and the settings. If a player wants to end a relationship with an individual they will have that option when conversing with that individual. If a player wants to quit their job and get a new one they have that option. The game comes into play when they have to interact with other races, like if they are playing with racial microaggressions on a higher level and apply to a job with a white employer they will have a much lower chance of getting the job. This is but one example of how the games RMA setting will affect a player’s access to the game. The environment is fixed so the player can only access what they are allowed to. Actions like high levels of aggression and other outrageous behavior will be checked by realistic aspects like law enforcement. The law enforcement limitation can be fun similar to how it is fun in other popular games for players who want to test the bounds of how the game will pursue malicious behavior. The level of RMA would have less severe acts like J walking in the streets have higher penalties than normal and would exaggerate the point of the learning objective, that things are treated differently when minorities are involved.

The game ends when the player reaches the age limit. At this time the player is shown the results of everything they did in the game. This list includes but is not limited to, amount of arrests, jobs they worked, salaries they have earned, family size. Some things would be more stressed than other, like their average reaction style to microaggressions and how that would translate to real life if they reacted in the same way as they did in the game in real life.

DRAMATIC ELEMENTS

The main character is a young black male in his last two years of high school, trying to become as successful as possible within their journey through life. The player is essentially living through the character/avatar to experience the different possibilities of how racial microaggressions can impact their one’s life. On top of the normal challenges of procuring a successful future in today’s competitive American society the player has to deal with the stigma and racial microaggressions that are faced on a daily bases by black people.

In takes place in a simulated American State. A young adult about to finish school and embark on the journey of life with little guidance from his family. It is literally him against the world. The story is linear in at its base. The players are all heading in the same direction. It is emergent in nature as the player makes decisions new options and new directions become available. They are given places they can go and people they can interact with. Based upon how they react with the individuals and where they choose to go the story line unfolds.

It definitely encompasses the elements for achievers and adventures. It offers a competitive player the challenge of thriving in a society where the deck is literally stacked against them if they choose to. There is also plenty of room for a player to explore all that the world has to offer if they just want to test what is possible. Tension is created when one tries to become more than expected of them. For instance when one tries to go from an entry level position, to manager, to CEO, the tension will rise exponentially and is resolved when one recedes to a more expected role based upon the stereotypes of their race—in this case black. Depending on the ambition of the player, much like real life the tension could possibly not be resolved until the end when they reach 40 and retire to a secluded location where they are outside of the reach of RMA… if such a place even exists. Conflict is created when the player tries to interact with NPC’s. Whether it be through direct conversation or the pursuit obtain something material, like a house in a specific location. Where ever there is an opportunity for microaggressions there is a chance for conflict to be created.

SYSTEM DYNAMICS

The components on the game will include NPC’s, buildings, and currency/resources. The buildings will serve purposes, means of income, shelter, and ways to acquire skills too progress. The people will either provide or mitigate opportunities. Currency will serve as a means of trade. Buying, communicating, and compromising are the main system behaviors.

The basic relationship I player decides what they want to do àplayer sets out to attain what they wantàgame introduces RMA to deter playeràplayer reevaluates how much they really want something—if they choose to continueàfigure out another way to get it. At this point there is either another deterring microaggression or the player gets to the desired goal, but usually there is another deterrence. The system is controlled by the players will to go against the microaggressions.

The economy is multifaceted. The player has to obtain money to get other things like a house or food but obtaining money requires them to interact with the NPC’s. Interactions with the NPC’s then requires another currency which is reputation. This currency is harder to gain as the player becomes more successful in the game because the player then has to deal with more attention from oppressors, the individuals that are usually the culprits behind microaggressions.

The player early on just has to build a rapport with their parents and go to school. As the game progresses the player gets involved in more institutes, like work, higher education and so on. The player then has to balance interacting with these institutes and the people involved. As the person strays further from their people and stereotypical areas they encounter the most important engine of the game, racial microaggressions. The emergence of the system is more player based than procedurally based. The choices the player has to make is exposed. Why the game becomes harder and more resistant to the player become successful in the game is hidden until the end. The players control over the system lies in their attempt to be successful within the system. The more they try to become successful within the system the more difficult making independent choices will become, the less they try to become successful the less resistance they will face from the system.

FUN AND FUNCTIONALITY

Very much so. They promote the objective by raising difficulty in a realistic since which causes a real sense of success when doing well in the game. All choices involving career, family, and life success. The objective is to see how every day choices an effect life time success.

The part that may seem broken is how difficult the game gets when a player is nearing success in all aspects of life, good job, happy family, and happy friends. The length of the game and the level of difficult could become exhausting. Life as a black person in a white supremacist society can seem like an unsurmountable obstacle most of the time.

It would be easy to the target group—Black people in America. The understanding and difficulty may increase based upon demographics drastically different than the intended. Initially a few minutes but there are new systems that get introduced during game progression. Through tutorials and an initial story introduction.

I hope you like the concept. If so show support for BLACK IN AMERICA in the comment section that  will follow.