A Method for Discovering Values in Digital Games

"A Method for Discovering Values in Digital Games" presents the Values Cards exercise, a practical tool that helps game designers identify and discuss human values such as equality, justice, generosity, and competition that are embedded in game mechanics, representation, and players' prior experiences. The authors contend that games inevitably carry values, much as other media do, and that designers can gain conscious control over the values their games convey by examining both positive and negative expressions of those values. The exercise is positioned as an initial step within a broader Values at Play methodology of discovery, translation, and verification.

The method was tested through workshops and a classroom study in which students reflected on titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Dance Dance Revolution. Participants became markedly more critically aware of how games embody values, though some found it difficult to represent values without becoming didactic or undermining the fun of play. The authors acknowledge that their value list is culturally contingent, reflecting U.S. liberal-democratic principles, and they commit to refining it through further iterations and participant input.

Feedback from designers led to an expanded value deck that adds competition, individualism, hierarchy, free thinking, and humor. These additions reflect the recognition that many values can produce either beneficial or harmful social effects depending on context. The authors conclude that accurate interpretation of such values demands close attention to social and cultural setting. The exercise has already generated productive discussion among designers, and its next phase will extend the approach to full game prototypes.