New interactive game addresses subtle forms of racism on university campuses

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Researchers from the University of Melbourne, Swinburne University and the University of Regina (Canada) have developed an interactive game designed to confront and raise awareness of racism on university campuses.

Between the Lines features three minigames, where players are tasked with role-playing situations involving racism from the perspective of a student or staff member.

“We often tend to associate racism with overt and explicit instances, but with this game we wanted to represent the subtle, everyday experiences that individuals from diverse backgrounds encounter when they're on campus”, said Dr Wajeehah Aayeshah, lecturer in Curriculum Design & Co-Creation at the University of Melbourne. Dr Aayeshah co-produced the game alongside game designer Nick Loki and artist Marco Ryan.

“A common experience that we highlight in the game is the mispronouncing and misspelling of people’s names. While these actions may not be intentionally racist, they can still contribute to an unwelcoming environment for individuals from underrepresented communities.

“The game is purposefully designed for players to feel a bit lost and frustrated, as any person facing racist experiences in real life would.”.

The game's content was informed by a 2023 University of Melbourne Student Union report which shed light on students' lived experiences of racism, as well as through surveys and focus groups conducted with students by the researchers.

“We designed this game as an educational resource for anti-racist workshops to raise awareness about some of the experiences brought up in the report, and to guide tertiary educators in fostering a more welcoming environment for students from all backgrounds,” Dr Aayeshah said.

The game's launch coincides with a growing movement advocating for stronger integration of games into teaching and university culture, a trend explored in-depth in a new report published by the University of Melbourne’s Melbourne Academic Games, Play and Interactive Entertainment (MAGPIE) research initiative.

Faculty of Arts researchers Dr Cassandra Barkman and Dr Mahli-Ann Butt looked at the fragmented state of games education, the benefits of games, the barriers to greater games uptake and potential solutions.

Dr Barkman, Deputy Director of MAGPIE, said: "Games are one of the biggest entertainment industries in the world. By integrating games more strongly into our teaching and research, we don’t just keep pace with global trends—we set exciting new standards for interdisciplinary education.”

Dr Butt said: "There is great potential for games to be used to increase student engagement and participation and to tackle complex problems in an interactive way."

Games have already been integrated into areas such as performance, writing, human-computer interaction, cultural studies, legal studies, and architecture. However, the researchers say there is still progress to be made in facilitating a games culture more broadly.

“Prioritising accessible and affordable games, fostering games literacy among teachers and students, and hosting events such as game screenings and small-scale playing sessions will be essential in increasing involvement across universities,” Dr Butt said.