Make Games No One Wants to Play

The document explores the purpose and player experience of "serious games," which include educational, activist, biomedical, and intentionally uncomfortable games, challenging the conventional notion that all games must prioritize fun. It questions why players engage with games that do not offer traditional enjoyment, proposing that such games aim to deliver powerful messages or provoke critical thought.

The research critiques the prevailing view that game designers should solely advocate for player wants and fun, arguing that this perspective limits critical design and "user-unfriendly design" intended to provoke. It introduces the concept of "thick discomfort," borrowing from Geertz's "Thick Description," to encourage players to reflect on their discomfort and intentions during gameplay, akin to autoethnography. This methodology aims to understand what players retain from a play session and how a game's message affects them, particularly when monetary success is not the primary metric.

The analysis highlights that digital games, through procedural expression and persuasive messaging, can alter player behaviors by invoking moral choices and mirroring real-world issues. It emphasizes that while visual rhetoric can be immediately provocative, textual rhetoric offers more efficient persuasion, and procedural expression engages players most deeply. The document suggests that understanding games as systems helps justify design choices and explain the impact of messages on player behavior. This ongoing research is part of a doctoral project investigating ideology in games, pleasure in serious games, and uncomfortable topics in casual commercial games.