User:Berna Bereit Master Thesis Project Proposal

Project Proposal Outline What do you want to make?

The project is concerned with analyzing how trade unions and labor movements are portrayed in video games. This includes the examination of 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 trade unionism within the games industry itself, particularly in relation to the working conditions of developers. How do you plan to make it?

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.

What is your timetable?

4th November 2024 Public Moment

22nd November 2024 Deadline Project Proposal

14th March 2025 Deadline First Draft Thesis

18th April 2025 Deadline Thesis End June 2025 Graduation Show Why do you want to make it?

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 trade unions and labor 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 labor struggles. Who can help you and how?

Lidia. smaller Game Communities in the Netherlands, Labor Unions to get practical experience Relation to previous practice.

In my bachelor thesis “GamingWell - WorkingWell”, I already dealt with the instrumentalization of gaming in Amazon's fulfillment centers. It consisted of research in which I theoretically explained why Amazon fulfillment centers are by no means magical places based on the effects of automation, the physical strain on employees, gaming in the workplace and the suppression of trade union work. The research was then aesthetically translated into a video game by making the mechanisms playable in various scenarios and providing insights into the echo of a fulfillment center. Staged as an installation in the exhibition context, visitors were able to experience realistic situations at various levels: From getting to know the different work areas and playing simple mini-games to break up the monotonous repetitive work, to deciding for or against painkillers during working hours, to forming a trade union. The scenarios are based on current developments. Relation to a larger context.

The 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 realized in games. At the same time, the consideration of current working conditions (for example crunch culture) in the games industry itself will add an additional, practice-relevant dimension to the project. References.

   "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]