Breaking the Game: The Power of Critical Games in Challenging Conventions

What happens when games go beyond fun and entertainment to challenge societal norms and player expectations? In this episode, we dive into the growing field of "critical games," a transformative genre in the video game industry. These aren't your typical games; designed with a critical lens, they disrupt conventional gameplay to provoke thought and incite social commentary. We explore an insightful analysis that maps these games along two key axes: social critique vs. game mechanic critique, and continuous vs. discontinuous delivery of critique. This framework offers a fresh perspective on how critical games break boundaries, revealing that they are not examples of poor design but rather powerful tools for engagement and commentary. Tune in as we unravel how these innovative games offer new ways to understand gaming conventions and the societal issues they bring to light—transforming play into a form of activism!

Bashiri, K. (2008). You Have to Burn the Rope. [Web-Flash]. http://www.mazapan.se/games/burnTheRope.php played 22 March 2013 

Cox, J. (2012). Don’t Kill the Cow. [Windows PC]. Seemingly Pointless. Oxford USA. played December 2012.  

Grace, L. 2014. Critical Games: Critical Design in Independent Games. In Proceedings of the 7th Digital Games Research Association Conference (Digra 2014), Salt Lake City, Utah

Flanagan, M. (2009). Critical play: radical game design. MIT press. 

Moynihan, D. (2010). One Chance. [Web-Flash]. Awkward Silence Games. England: played 12 February 2014 

Pedercini, P. (2011). Phone Story. [Android], Molleindustria. Pittsburgh USA: played 2 March 2014