User:Berna Bereit Master Thesis Project Proposal

What?

Topic: The representation of labor and labor unions in video games

The project deals with the analysis of how labor unions and movements are portrayed in video games. This includes examining narrative strands, game mechanics and aesthetic elements that focus on class struggles and collective organizations in games such as Red Dead Redemption 2 and Bioshock Infinite. It will also address the issue of labor unionism within the games industry itself, particularly in relation to the working conditions of developers.

Why?

This topic is socially and culturally significant, as video games are a growing medium that is increasingly used as a platform for social and political discourse. The representation of labor unions and movements in games not only reflects historical and contemporary conflicts, but also provides a framework to address system criticism, solidarity and collective action. The analysis helps to understand how the visual and narrative design of games affects the perception of social realities and to what extent these representations can stimulate reflection on workers' struggles.

Workflow

1. Theoretical research:

• Examination of academic literature on trade unions in the fields of social theory, cultural studies and game studies.*Analysis of the history of trade unions and labor movements in art, film and literature as a context for representation in video games.

2. Game analysis:

• Selection of relevant games (Red Dead Redemption 2, Bioshock Infinite, among others) that address labor unions and workers' struggles.
• Examination of the narrative and mechanical implementation of trade union themes in these games.
• Analyze the visual aesthetics and design of these games in relation to labor movements and class struggles.

3. Relation to game development:

• Research union movements within the game development industry.
• Interviews or case studies of current movements that address the working conditions of developers and crunch culture.

4. Interpretation:

• Synthesis of findings from theoretical research and game analysis.
• Discussion of how games as a medium reflect social realities and which narrative and aesthetic decisions lead to a critical examination of labor struggles.

5. Installation

• Based on the research, the results are to be translated into an installation
• Potentially, a screen installation with examples and accompanying information or the creation of a game in which mechanisms are visualized and made playable are possible.

Timetable

October - November

Start with the Research on the topic and find different games that will be analysed. The goal is to gain an overview of the topic, what other researchers or designers/artists have explored in this field. As part of the public moment a small audio will be created that gives in around 1 min a small introduction to the topic. A qr code is printed on transparent stickers which are placed in the toilet cabines of the 4th floor at Wijnhaven 61 - while taking a toilet break, people can listen to the audio. By the end of November the project proposal has to be finished and by that also a first exploration of the topic.

4th November 2024 Public Moment

22nd November 2024 Deadline Project Proposal

December - February

From December to February the Research and the analysis of the games will be completed and a coherent text will be produced. Since the aim is to produce a book(let) containing more information about the topic, two text will be produced. Once the thesis with around 8000 words and not necessarily finished by the end of Februrary the book(let).

March - April

Last feedback loops on the text.

14th March 2025 Deadline First Draft Thesis

18th April 2025 Deadline Thesis

May - June

The collection of analysed game material will be transformed into an installation showing the findings of the project.

End June 2025 Graduation Show

Relation to previous practice

This research builds on existing work in game studies, social theory and art studies that examine video games as a medium of social reflection. Previous studies have looked at the representation of women, political protests and social movements in video games, but the specific examination of trade unions is a relatively unexplored field. The project builds on previous work on collective movements and their representation in digital media and expands the discourse to include the question of how class struggles and labor movements are visually and narratively represented in games.

Choices made

For the analysis, games were selected that have already attracted attention in research for their thematic depth (Red Dead Redemption 2, Bioshock Infinite), as they offer explicit narratives about workers' struggles and trade unions. The combination of theoretical literature review and the analysis of game mechanics and aesthetic choices allows for the development of a comprehensive perspective on the representation of trade unions in video games. The consideration of working conditions in the games industry itself adds an additional, practice-relevant dimension to the project.

Sources & Quotes

"I wonder if it is not time for game design to start being a spatial exercise tool through which we, protesters, can practice and acquire urban tactics that stand against the state’s oppression?" [Bashady, Hamza (2022). A Passive Mob: How Video Games Silence Dissent. Online. URL: https://futuress.org/stories/a-passive-mob]

"Club Stahlbad takes a stab at the dysfunctionality of the established spaces of entertainment, where “fun” is obligatory as a ritualized counterpart to “labor” - subordinating both work and “free time” to the logics of capital accumulation." [Total Refusal (2023). Club Stahlbad. Online. URL: https://totalrefusal.com/home/club-stahlbad]

"NPCs are digital Sisyphus machines that have no perspective of breaking out of their activity loops. In the moments when the algorithm shows inconsistencies, the NPCs break out of the logic of total normality, and appear touchingly human." [Total Refusal (2022). Hardly Working. Online. URL: https://totalrefusal.com/home/hardly-working]

Total Refusal (2022): Hardly Working at Kunsthaus

Schubert, S., 2018. Dystopia in the Skies: Negotiating Justice and Morality on Screen in the Video Game BioShock Infinite. ejas. https://doi.org/10.4000/ejas.14089