We encourage game designers to place their games across the 8 spectrums. This can happen in a single process in the design pipeline or recurrently throughout the design process. Placements across the spectrums are not necessarily positive or negative, but instead should be used to invite conversation about a game’s direction and design.
It is important to note that it is nearly impossible (and not necessarily advised) for a single game to be “high'' or “good'' on all spectrums. Not all spectrums need to be applicable in a game to fulfill its purpose. Furthermore, it is important to recognize that a “low'' placement on all spectrums may be concerning or surprising and motivate change.
If the placement across the 8 spectrums encourages a desire to create, adjust, or reflect upon a game and its current state, we invite game designers to utilize the design activities provided in this framework to create change. These design activities are created with the intention to help brainstorm, ideate, or expand upon a game’s purpose and may benefit game designers in many parts of the game design process.
Keep in mind that our collective understanding of race is constantly evolving – race/ethnicity/culture are all informed by global and local histories, power dynamics, and personal identities and experiences – there are likely to be disagreements and the language we use today may not incorporate the knowledge we have tomorrow.
It is most important to use this framework with an open mind, the willingness to be vulnerable and acknowledge and repair mistakes, and the flexibility to adapt to your context when necessary.
SERG may be used at any stage of the game design process. The framework is built upon four central concepts:
Understanding our progress in relation to our goals and ideal world
Brainstorming and designing around meaningfully engaging in race
Working alongside others (stakeholders, critical audience, etc) to achieve shared goals and ideals.
Creating connections about essential concepts of race, racial identity, and learning the importance of engaging race
These are addressed chronologically through the Essential Concepts in race followed by the Spectrums for Engaging Race in Games. Additionally, we have also provided Design Activities and Goal Setting to help adjust games to reflect the goals and purpose they intend to serve.
Here, you can add what you do in game design and how it relates to your intentions of using the framework. We urge those who use the framework to come back to this when working though the spectrums.
If this feels daunting, we encourage dipping your toes in just a single aspect of each section to get a feel for what this is about (e.g., reading “The 4 I’s of Oppression” under Essential Concepts, “Acknowledges Race” under Spectrums for Engaging Race in Games, etc.)
Chances are, if you’re making a game, you’re not doing it alone. Conversations around race/ethnicity can be difficult to navigate as the people involved might have different life experiences and backgrounds. We advocate for the safety of game workers and do not want them to engage in these conversations if it will put them in an unsafe or uncomfortable working environment especially in spaces with limited BIPOC workers. However, one of the goals of this framework is to help facilitate these workplace discussions. Below we will briefly discuss important guidance for navigating these discussions with some examples of how you might use the SERG framework in those discussions at the end of this section. Many people are uncomfortable with discussing race at work; some people will be uncomfortable because they don’t want to seem racist or bigoted while others may be afraid of being labeled as complainers, “making a big deal out of nothing” or being asked to take on disproportionate labor for “representing” particular cultures/races. One framework/toolkit that may help with having these conversations is the BRAVE (Build, Respect, Acknowledge, Validate and Emphasize) framework created by Dr. Enrica N. Rugg and Dr. Derek Avery, which was created to help frame discussions of race and racial discrimination.
“Build the intention, focus, and safety needed to have honest conversations about race.”
“Respect the sensitivity of the topic while challenging people to go beyond the superficial. Employees need to respect other people's boundaries.”
“Validate and accept the experiences of your racially marginalized colleagues. Productive conversation requires acknowledging the reality of racism and racial discrimination.”
“Emphasize how your organization is prioritizing goals and metrics around racial equity. Conversations should lead somewhere.”
Let’s discuss possible motivations of game designers and stakeholders for thoughtfully considering race in their game. - Audience Reception: modern audiences are extremely sensitive to pandering and desire authentic and purposeful design. Audiences have sharp discernment; from those who might critique what they perceive to be “DEI-driven design” (i.e., including people of color unnecessarily because one “must”) to those who might critique what they perceive to be a cash grab (i.e., including people of color shallowly to trick BIPOC audiences into spending their money on poor representation). Authentic and purposeful design requires transparent, open, and purposeful communication within the design team. - Responsible Design: while BIPOC have always been a large part of the gaming market and have always worked in game design, for generations they have been under- and mis-represented. Engaging race in game design requires understanding not just the impact of your game on its own, but its place in the larger pantheon of games and the cultural/social context in which the game exists. SEE sections 3 and 4 for the educational and practical components of the framework. SEE section 5 for further guidance on setting goals for how your game engages with race on your own or with collaborators.