Embedding Culture Into Video Games and Game Design : The Palm, the Dogai and the Tombstone

This book will help game designers and those interested in games thoughtfully embed culture into video games and the game design process. This book raises the issue of how some cultures and communities are misrepresented within various video games. In response to this problem, designers can bring cultural considerations and practices into the centre focus of the game design process. The book advocates that designers put different measures in place to better prevent misrepresentations and engage with deeper understandings of culture to build culturally richer and more meaningful game worlds. The book uses the Torres Strait Virtual Reality project as a primary example in addition to other game projects to explore cultural representation in game design. Torres Strait culture is also explored and discussed more broadly throughout the book. No prior knowledge of culture studies is needed, and the book deals with higher level game design with little reference to the technical elements of game development. This unique and timely book will appeal to those interested in the implications of cultural depictions in video games and opportunities to generate deeper cultural representations through the game design process. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Contents 6 Acknowledgements 9 Preface 11 Prologue: The recent passing of a relative or community member 16 1. Cultural representations in video games 18 Culture and video games 21 The theories of cultural representation and depictions in research and literature 22 Misrepresented cultural depictions in video games 24 Revisits and cultural redesigns by game designers 27 Cultural and community-centred game design 28 Culture and community as a response 29 Conclusion 31 2. Knowing the context: A Torres Strait perspective 36 Torres Strait geography, languages and lifestyle 37 Torres Strait history from a family perspective 46 Pearling industry 48 After the pearling industry 51 Community service, advocacy and development 53 Torres Strait cultural memory and sovereignty 56 Conclusion 60 Interlude: Preparing for the Tombstone Opening 64 3. The palm and the Dogai 68 Deep culture 68 Cultural palm tree 71 The simulacrum 75 The Dogai 76 The palm and the Dogai 79 Conclusion 80 4. Culturally centred game design 83 The project team 85 Torres Strait Virtual Reality storyline and premise: The tombstone opening 85 Connection to land, ocean and culture in design 90 Narration and story characters 91 Depiction of Torres Strait Islander people and cultural artefacts 94 Sketches and constellations 96 Islands depicted in-game 100 TSVR implementation and use 106 Conclusion 108 5. Community participation in game design 112 Community participation 113 Member of community embedded in the game project team 115 Community as a part of playtesting and quality assurance 116 Elders and cultural knowledge holders 118 Specialised cultural professional or experts 121 Game jam involving the community 122 Reciprocity and building community capacity 123 Contact with the community 124 Differing organisational structures, and community and kinship groups 127 Conclusion 130 Interlude: The Tombstone Opening 132 6. Cultural immersion, rigorous research and ethics in game design 134 Greater understanding through cultural immersion and experience 135 Learning from Country/Place 138 Rigorous research 141 Reliability 142 A balanced nature of presentation 142 Community participation and support 142 Ethics of cultural representation, game design and monetisation 148 Conclusion 152 7. Designing to produce deep representations 155 Cultural lens, representation and self-reflection 157 Triangulation of methods, knowledge and perspectives to embed culture into game design 158 Benefits of a thoughtful approach to cultural representations and finding the balance 159 Process over outcome 164 Game designing with confidence to produce impactful gaming outputs 165 Book limitations and future practice and research 165 Conclusion 166 Epilogue: Caring for the tombstone site 168 Index 170 Game,designer;,Culture;,Virtual,Reality;,Game,design Game designer,Culture,Virtual Reality,Game design