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Paper short abstract:

In this speculative paper, I reflect on players’ instances of ‘critical humour' and ‘senseless fun’ as a meaningful byproduct of a game simulation gone wrong. I ask what role does ‘fun’ obtain in a simulated, but serious humanitarian context? Fun for whom, created with whom, and about what?

Paper long abstract:

The educational practice that has been established in law enforcement and foreign affairs departments since Prussia’s Kriegsspiel the 19th century, has found its way to the humanitarian sector: serious games. They are designed to explore helpful behaviours in the use of data collection and collation; created to develop analytical mindsets; and employed to train and ‘try out’ emergency responders for the ground. But ‘it’s not all fun and games anymore’, as one of my interlocutors commented on innovative practice in the sector. On the basis of six months of field work with serious game designers, humanitarian practitioners and aspiring emergency responders, this paper explores the serious implications of ‘fun’ games: at what point does a simulation turn into a serious reality albeit removed from its original purpose and design? What role does the imitation and recreation of context play in such a game? What are the implications of a game simulation gone wrong, expressed by participants’ in instances of ‘critical humour’ to process ‘meaningless fun’?

Drawing on critical humanitarian studies and the sociology of creativity and play, this paper seeks to contribute to these literatures by reflecting on ‘fun’ in its serious humanitarian context: fun created by whom, with whom, and about what? By asking this question, it seeks to problematise the notion of ‘simulation’ as representing a ‘real’ emergency for all participants (players, designers and game observers) to the same degree. What role do abstractions and simplifications in game mechanics play in defining notions of its success or failure?