Lee, Cassandra. Beyond-the-Ice: Designing Games for Facilitating Deeper Conversations. 2024. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Master's thesis.

Abstract

In an age of constant communication we’ve never been more connected, and yet all of our numerous, fast, and convenient connections lack the depth and intimacy we truly crave. The desire for more authentic social experiences necessitates vulnerability, honesty, and risk; but introducing such dynamics presents a great challenge in the context of the wider landscape of public discourse. Designers across disciplines have suggested using games to facilitate stronger social connection, since at their core, games are structured experiences which can expose players to alternate social norms and encourage risk taking. However, few have designed games which specifically foster more intimate forms of dialogue and encourage players not only to speak, but offer scaffolding to help players actively listen and respond to one another.

In this thesis I explore play-based dynamics of intimacy through the creation of technology-aided games. This work builds on formal knowledge from the social sciences, HCI, and game design, as well as informal knowledge from facilitation, gathering practices, party games, and Tarot. This research is applied through the development of five distinct design principles: 1) Make emotional disclosure special; 2) Scaffold reflective responsiveness; 3) Approach depth through playfulness; 4) Use constraints to make emotional work safer; 5) Center objects to feel with. Following a Research through Design (RfD) method, I designed 18 unique prototypes and proof-of-concepts which explore various aspects of the five principles. Two of the games that were designed, developed, playtested, and evaluated are presented: Analogia, a card game that uses generative images to inspire emotion-rich conversations and Crossroads, a digital game where players are guided to unlock a hidden image by telling stories and co-creating generative images inspired by them. 

This work contributes two well-tested games which evoke five compelling principles; a series of new mechanics for stimulating dialogue (dual-stimulus, bridge-and-tunnel, image scrying, listener roles, reverse-scrying); and pilot data from playtests which demonstrates the ability and challenge of these mechanics to create conversational outcomes. Additionally, both spotlighted games creatively employ artificial intelligence (AI) to help mediate player interactions through image interpretation and co-creation. Although this is a thesis about conversation games, it provides widely applicable and timely insights relevant for the future of social-technical systems. By exploring the intersection between play, intimate conversation, and technology, this work seeks to empower future worlds which cultivate human relationships based on authenticity, vulnerability, complexity, and subjectivity.