Machine-Made
Drawing inspiration from ethical dilemmas in technology, I designed a game set in a future technocracy. Players become freelance recyclers of cybernetic implants, initially oblivious to their dangers and the pervasive surveillance they support. Through collecting and recycling implants, the narrative unfolds, exposing themes of privacy invasion and the shadowy side of technology advancements. This game encourages players to ponder the real-world implications of technology's role in society.
Mar 2022
Individual Project
Case Studies
Facebook Emotional Experiment
In a controversial study, Facebook and Cornell University researchers altered the emotional content of users' news feeds to observe changes in social media behavior. This manipulation affected 600,000 users over a week in 2012, removing negative posts to see if it made people post more positively and vice versa, raising significant ethical questions about consent and emotional manipulation.
Target Predictive Advertisement
Target's advanced analysis of customer purchase patterns enabled them to identify pregnant shoppers, including teenagers. In one notable case, Target sent maternity ads to a high school girl before she had revealed her pregnancy to her parents, sparking debate over privacy and ethical advertising practices.
Cambridge Analytica Scandal
The scandal involved a Facebook quiz that collected extensive user data. This information was then sold to Cambridge Analytica, which used it to create detailed voter profiles. These profiles were pivotal in targeting political advertisements for significant campaigns, including Donald Trump's presidential run and the Brexit vote, affecting millions of users without their consent.
TAKEAWAY
After delving into case studies, I was inspired to create a game with multiple endings, designed to immerse players in the complex ethical quandaries of a digitized society. This includes facing data breaches, the perils of surveillance capitalism, and the often-overlooked unfair labor practices within platform economies, among other issues.
Design Brief
Set in a futuristic world, the game interprets data as mechanical body parts, illustrating how people opt for mechanical augmentations to enhance efficiency in their tasks. Players take on the role of recyclers of these mechanical parts. Through the act of collecting and recycling discarded mechanical augmentations, players will slowly unravel the buried secrets within these mechanical components, exposing the underlying narratives of exploitation and control in this technologically advanced society.
Design Development
Final Design
User Testing
Tools
