Relevant Roundup #1

The ‘Relevant Roundup’ blogs will look at some of the current debates about biopunk stories and gaming.

Transitioning through gaming

Violet Adele Bloch examines how gender options in Neverwinter allow questioning people to explore their gender identity, and how changing our virtual biology can help us make sense of ourselves.

Pandemic gaming beyond Animal Crossing

While Animal Crossing has become one of the most popular products ever due to how many people are stuck at home needing some escapism, others are trying to comprehend what is happening through games. Just like how Contagion found renewed popularity at the start of the pandemic, games that look at plagues and deadly viruses have also become a cathartic process (for some). This review looks at how the Pathologic series handles a story set during a plague.

How well does Mass Effect represent autism?

Game Assist recently released a twenty minute video (with closed captions) examining how autism is treated in the Mass Effect series. While this plots falls more into the cyberpunk territory, it is a worthwhile watch that examines how BioWare represents this particular marginalisation.

Game approved as a treatment for ADHD in children

In the US, a game is now available as a prescription for treating ADHD. EndeavorRX is available for children between the ages of eight to twelve and is likely to be the start of a long process of assessing whether gaming can be used as treatment (at least in part) for certain conditions.