Kutub Gandhi

@kksgandhi@hci.social
73 Followers
260 Following
225 Posts
I'm interested in building and researching games that teach philosophy — why read about the trolley problem when you can play it?
Websitehttps://kksgandhi.github.io/personal_site/
Kutub GandhiOct 28

Advice to myself from 3 years ago: Don't just keep your resume updated, keep a log of good responses to interview questions.

I'm meeting a lot of cool people at conferences, who ask me if I've done <cool thing> or how I handled <challenging situation>, and I'm kicking myself because I keep forgetting things I did a few years ago, things that would make perfect examples for the questions I'm asked.

Kutub GandhiSep 18
If you want people to really engage with your material, make a game, just know that you'll have some dropoff from folks who can't or won't create the space your game needs.
Show threadKutub GandhiSep 18
At the very least, being forced to input actions into a game means that you can't fully "tune out" like you could with a video.
Show threadKutub GandhiSep 18
Interestingly, I wonder if that very inaccessibility is what gives games their educational power. You value something more if you invest in it, so if you set aside time and space to play a game, you're more likely to listen to its educational goals.
Kutub GandhiSep 18
Games are, by their nature, inaccessible. I'm not talking about disability necessarily, but the fact that basically any game requires focus, a comfortable space, and the usage of an input device.
Show threadKutub GandhiAug 18

**Gamification**: Using points, badges and leaderboards to motivate users in a non-game setting.

**Games as a pasttime**: Games can provide something for a player to do while they're learning.

I have more discussion and reading on my website: https://kksgandhi.github.io/personal_site/what_transformational_games_can_do.html

what transformational games can do

Games as playful systems: A game can simulate a real world system, allowing players a safe space to modify things and see what happens.

Kutub Gandhi's personal website
Show threadKutub GandhiAug 18

**Games as social platforms**: Games encourage social interaction, where players may learn social skills or discuss concepts.

**Games as alibis**: Rather than directly bringing up a difficult topic, play a game that touches on those topics as a way to spark conversation.

**Games as introductions**: Games can bring up topics to be followed up on later, all while making players think they are just playing a silly game. Think "embedded design"

Show threadKutub GandhiAug 18

**Games as reflective spaces**: Games can provide time and a mental space to think about certain topics, even if they aren't providing much content. Games can help us imagine a world that doesn't yet exist.

**Games as experience anchors**: The game may not provide that much content, but it's memorable, and used as a touchstone when content is later provided, or when a player is trying to recall something.

Show threadKutub GandhiAug 18

It got me thinking about the myriad of ways games are used. These are the ones I can think of, can you help me add more?

**Games as playful systems**: A game can simulate a real world system, allowing players a safe space to modify things and see what happens.

**Games as learning challenges**: In order to complete the game, players must learn. This can range from "do division to defeat zombies" up to "learn about Aristotle so you can accurately roleplay as him in a LARP".

Kutub GandhiAug 18

At Serious Play, I was introduced to a brilliant idea, "Games as an alibi": using games to bring up an uncomfortable topic, either by playing with someone, or just by saying "hey, I played a game about this thing, and it made me think about you."

Meghan Gardner had a brilliant roleplay experience about end-of-life directives. It's a tough topic, but it helped me wrestle with it, and playing it can be a great way to bring it up to a loved one.