Game, Set, Play

“After completing my Master’s in English Literature, I worked for some time while preparing for PhD entrance exams. This break between my studies was important because it helped me realize that traditional research on literature did not excite me. I wanted to do something that was more path-breaking. I soon started thinking along the lines of how narrative media had evolved over the centuries and how stories were told today through video games. My research focuses on how video game-worlds are experienced and how they tell stories, especially in non-aggressive indie video games.

Even though I liked playing video games as a child, I lost interest in my teenage years. I fell back in love with them in my early twenties and eventually made a career out of it. The gaming world is primarily male-dominated and as a woman, it was initially hard for me to find, play, and research the kind of games I felt comfortable with.

Through my research, I have been bringing awareness that gaming is more than just an outlet to release pent-up rage. The stigma associated with video games being violent is largely owed to the big labels that make these violent and aggressive games. There are plenty of cerebral and emotional indie video games, with great narratives, social messages, and aesthetics that are overshadowed by their toxic counterparts. Indie games are a viable solution for people who do not want to play…