Feminist Games Studio

This course examines the culture and creation of independent video games as a space of feminist expression and pedagogy. Drawing on theories from game studies, feminist science and technology studies (STS), and feminist and queer theory we will "close play" video games in order to develop an intersectional analysis of various games, gaming culture, and game design. Each week students will play and design games of their own using a variety of accessible game engines like Bitsy, Flick, Tiny Choice, and Twine. This hybrid studio-seminar combines demos and tutorials with reading and discussion, providing students with both analytical frameworks and technical skills.