Creative Social Science: Gaming Ideology – Game Design for Social Change

Course Description

In Creative Social Science: Gaming Ideology – Game Design for Social Change, you will learn how to make and promote a sociological game. What is a sociological game? It is a playable model to test critical thinking using overlapping concepts found in sociology and game design. The course involves learning relevant social and gameplay theory, and then applying what you learned in a practical workshop setting. It is part of a larger framework for creative social science, which prioritizes creative experimentation, universal design for learning (UDL), which is about inclusion and accessibility, as well as game-based learning (GBL) strategies to improve the student experience. Each class will have mini-lectures, case studies, and opportunities to test ideas in a creative workshop setting. Over the week, you will develop a basic game concept alongside your peers, leaving with a prototype. In previous versions of the course, there were games about climate change, social equality, mental health, poverty and alienation. The design process begins by asking: what social issue do you care about and why? From there we brainstorm how to best convey your topic through narrative and game mechanics, or rules for action in the game-world. If Game Design for Social Change sounds interesting to you, then sign-up today.