Empathy games tread thin line between 'edutainment' and virtual voyeurism

The Christian Science Monitor ^ | September 20, 2017 | Joseph Dussault

[Jagermonster]

UNDERSTANDING EACH OTHER   In an era marked by ubiquitous technology, the idea of teaching empathy through video games holds a certain appeal. But can gaming really improve understanding?

“Dys4ia” isn’t your typical video game. There are no bosses to defeat or weapons to supe-up. On their face, the challenges are even more simple than the game’s pixelated graphics: Try to squeeze into an ill-fitting shirt; Find an empty stall in the women’s restroom. And unlike most games, “Dys4ia” cannot really be won. That’s because “Dys4ia” is more than a game. It’s an autobiographical depiction of a transgender woman’s journey through hormone replacement therapy.

Since its release in 2012, “Dys4ia” has received critical acclaim for its gameplay, but more so for its politics. Through deeply personal vignettes, it appeared to communicate the unseen struggles of an already underrepresented community. It came to be known as an “empathy game,” because it allowed players to “walk a mile in the shoes” of a trans woman. This was the promise that so many hung on “Dys4ia” and other games like it.

But many creators of so-called empathy games have grown to resent the term. Anna Anthropy, creator of “Dys4ia”, was shocked to find that classrooms and conferences were using her game to teach people “what it’s like to be a trans woman.” For one thing, she never intended for “Dys4ia” to be representative of any collective “trans experience.” It is simply a window into her individual experience. And while it offers a glimpse of how one trans woman views her world, it is unlikely to generate the same level of mutual understanding that comes from actually interacting with people.

[Jagermonster]

Excerpted per rules.

Using Virtual Reality to "understand" what it is like to be a cross-dresser. To quote a local radio host, "I'm living in a world I don't understand."

Like most tools, this can be used for good or evil. Imagine a virtual trip to the battle of Yorktown, or inside a power plant, a prison, or into an end-state socialist country. I think that would help a lot of understanding.

Of course, indoctrination aside, if it truly shows the experience, then it might help a lot of people understand how truly crazycakes some poor life choices are.

[IronJack]

How about a game called NsanITee? Or how about reversing the whole trend and playing one called N’Ormul?

[DoughtyOne]

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[heterosupremacist]

But many creators of so-called empathy games have grown to resent the term. Anna Anthropy, creator of “Dys4ia”, was shocked to find that classrooms and conferences were using her game to teach people “what it’s like to be a trans woman.” REALLY? GRRR!