Game Information
| Title | The Hook Up Game! (student-created game) |
| Presenter(s) | Caleb Probst, Tom Kuborn |
| Session | Conference Reception, Game Exhibition, and Poster Session |
| Time | Wednesday, October 12, 7:00p-9:30p |
| Location | MSU Union Ballroom |
| Format | Game Exhibition |
| Screenshot |  |
| Description | This game is all about consent. Most college consent education is too simplistic: only yes means yes. This means that students generally do not get a chance to explore what can make it complicated. The Hook-Up Game provides a safe space for that opportunity. Players have a shared goal to create a narrative of a consensual and pleasurable encounter between two characters. They do so using four sets of cards: settings, characters, action, and dialogue. The settings are places common to a college campus (e.g., frat party, dorm room), and the characters represent a diversity of gender and sexual identities. Each character has personal boundaries and desires, a unique backstory, and relationship histories. These details provide players with context to guide them in their narrative creation. By building nuanced consent narratives, players begin to see how social pressures and power dynamics on college campuses can impact a "hook-up."
The game has two learning objectives. After the game, players will be better able to: 1. Explain some of the social factors of a college campus that make consent complicated, and 2. Communicate personal boundaries to a partner. People will improve their understanding of consent through playing the game, because consent is designed into the game at two levels. First, the collective goal is to create a consensual narrative, giving players a safe space to learn how to navigate the challenges of expressing sexual boundaries in complex social settings like college parties. Second, narrative decisions must be made by consensus, giving players an opportunity to practice communicating about these topics with other people. |