The Case of This War of Mine: A Production Studies Perspective on Moral Game Design

Abstract

This article reports on a study with 11 bit studios and their game, This War of Mine. Rather than a formal analysis of the game, our objective was to situate the research in game production studies by documenting the design context (gamework) and designer perceptions about the game that inform morally complex gameplay. The research was conducted with four team members of 11 bit studios: a senior game designer, a writer, a senior writer (with stakes in marketing), and a quality assurance lead. We employed reflective interviewing techniques and visual methods to better understand how moral gameplay was designed. Our analysis illustrates the roles underlying narratives in the design process and balancing everyday work negotiations play in the design of moral gameplay, how a designer's research informs the vision to create emotional realism in the game, and the importance of a playercentered iterative design process to produce morally engaging gameplay.

Can video games change attitudes towards history? Results from a laboratory experiment measuring short‐ and long‐term effects

“…Games dealing with, or inspired by, historical events were among the top selling titles in 2019 (e.g., Total War: Three Kingdoms , Assassins Creed: Odyssey , Civilization VI , and Kingdome Come: Deliverance ) (Valve Corporation, 2019). Games focusing on recent and still sensitive historical events are increasingly popular, as is evident from the commercial success of This War of Mine or media coverage for the recently released Through the Darkest of Times (de Smale et al, 2019; Paintbucket Games, 2019; Yin‐Poole, 2014). Can we consider history‐focused video games to be agents that shape our historical awareness and attitudes?…”

Revisión sistemática de investigaciones sobre videojuegos bélicos (2010-2020)

“…Análisis del diseño técnico de videojuegos. (5) (De Lope et al, 2017;De Smale, Kors & Sandovar, 2019;Díaz, 2014;Hanes & Stone, 2019;Maniega, Yànez & Lara, 2011).…”

Persuasive Gaming in Context

“…(p. 8). Games such as PeaceMaker (ImpactGames, 2007) and This War of Mine (11 bit studios, 2014) do not only ask players to empathize with certain actors, they also present the player with arguments that might cause one to think and feel differently about the people, events, or situations that are represented in these games (Belman & Flanagan, 2010;de Smale, Kors, & Sandovar, 2017).…”