Slides from my 2019 guest lecture on intimacy aesthetics in games.

1. Inquiries into Intimacy
Game Aesthetics & Design

2. Zack Bruce, “Instruments Made with
Spaceship Parts”
Ting Fang Chen, “Space Noir” (Top)
Alyssa Shea, “Moody” (Bottom)

5. 1. What is intimacy?
1. Intimate Games
1. The Magic Circle

6. What is Intimacy?

7. What is Intimacy?

8. What is Intimacy?

13. “Intimacy is that sphere of reality that is not quite the real of the mundane
given, and yet could be considered to exude a more intense reality, in a
sense that it is like the confirmation of the first, inner reality.”
- Tavi Meraud “Iradescense, Intimacy”

15. a physical, emotional,
relational closeness with a
person, place or thing!
What is Intimacy?

17. What can Intimate games look like?

18. What can Intimate games look like?

19. Why Make Intimate Games?
It’s about a real connection.

21. Image Source: Extra Credits (2014) The Magic Circle: How Games Transport Us to New Worlds

22. “The very heart of the Information Age is abstraction and
modeling, both of which frame the world as intellectual
rather than emotional or empathetic terms.”
John Sharp and David Thomas (2019) Fun, Taste, & Games: An Aesthetics of the Idle,
Unproductive, and Otherwise Playful

27. How to make an
intimacy game 1. Spend time to pick one book that you like
the most. A picture book is best suited for this
game, but not required.
2. Once you have chosen your book, find
somewhere to meet and sit with each other.
3. You both are going to read your books out
loud to one another. Choose who you would
like to read first. Before reading, the listener
should ask some questions about the book the
first reader chose.
4. Once the question have been asked, read
the story with each other. Feel free to ask,
joke, and talk throughout.
5. Now switch roles, and enjoy your story
time.

28. How to make an
intimacy game
1. Invite a friend over for breakfast with an
understanding of the weight of your feelings.
2. If they agree to breakfast, decide if you
want to cook together or go out.
3. While eating, ask questions that appear on
the diningware as you eat.

30. Thanks