| Title | Metaphor and Transformational Game Design |
| Presenter(s) | Amy Shannon, Geoff Kaufman and Jessica Hammer |
| Time | Thursday, October 20, 11:00a-12:00p |
| Location | Lake Michigan |
| Format | Roundtable |
| Description | In this roundtable, we will discuss techniques and best practices for using metaphor in games. What positive and negative exemplars exist for using metaphor in transformational games? What types of problems lend themselves to metaphorical game design, and which are more challenging? How do we approach content metaphors and mechanical metaphors, and how are they different in practice? Given that players co-create the meaning of metaphors, how can we evaluate our metaphorical success during playtesting? What are best practices for supporting players in unpacking metaphors, and in addressing player-generated explanations that are at odds with the designer’s goals for the game? What design spaces for metaphor in transformational games remain unexplored? |
