ABSTRACT

This chapter provides a focused examination on flirtation as a game mechanic and as a subject in games. It uses flirting in games as a way to examine the moral and conceptual issue of consent in playful human–computer interactions, providing some grounding for further philosophical, legal, and experiential research. It provides examples of how the models described in Chapter 2 can be applied specifically to the execution of flirt mechanics in a contemporary game. The chapter combines wide-interdisciplinary research in game theory, sociology, and psychology as a simple demonstration of how specific theories can be applied to the challenge of designing meaningful human–computer interactions in games. It then concludes with specific examples of flirting-focused games and a brief analysis of romance in games.