ABSTRACT

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 in 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.

chapter |2 pages

Prologue

The recent passing of a relative or community member

chapter 2|28 pages

Knowing the context

A Torres Strait perspective

chapter |4 pages

Interlude

Preparing for the Tombstone Opening

chapter 3|15 pages

The palm and the Dogai

chapter 4|29 pages

Culturally centred game design

chapter |2 pages

Interlude

The Tombstone Opening

chapter |2 pages

Epilogue

Caring for the tombstone site