Making Political Games: Alex Knight

Critical Gaming Ludic Method Soirée

Public Online Lecture
https://dieangewandte-at.zoom.us/j/65745833786

Game designer Alex Knight's stated aim is to make games "empowering people to make positive change in the world". His first work, Land and Freedom, is an anti-fascist boardgame dealing with the history of the Spanish Revolution and Civil War. Using a series of innovative game mechanisms, this semi-cooperative game shows the difficulties of uniting diverse actors to tackle a common threat.
In his lecture, Alex will talk about his work and investigate the question of how games can motivate political thought and action. Do have games the power to change someone's way of thinking? Are there specific game mechanisms that lend themselves more to emancipatory content than others? And is there still a place for boardgames in a world dominated by videogames?

Lecture and discussion will be in English.

Hosted by the boardgame researcher Dr. Thomas Brandstetter, fellow nd researcher EXPERIMENTAL GAME CULTURES.
The lecture is part of the project "The Psycho-Ludic Approach: Exploring play for a viable future“ AR787 (FEF/PEEK).

psycholudic.uni-ak.ac.at
Design of the guest lecture Making Political Games.
Images (c) Alex Knight
Lecture