Designing Game-Based Writing Projects to Foster Critical Ethical Reasoning in the English Classroom: A Case Study Using Plague Inc: Evolved

Background. Over the past two decades, scholars in the field of Critical Game Studies have discussed ethics in relation to the self-reflexive practices that players undertake when navigating in-game scenarios. Similarly, researchers who are interested in the pedagogical value of game-based learning activities also emphasize self-reflexive player practices when discussing the benefits of incorporating video games into traditional educational environments. Problem. Despite the shared interest in player self-reflexivity within ethics- and education-focused scholarship, qualitative research that explores the ability to design learning experiences around video games’ ethical dimensions is still in its emergent stages. Intervention. This article bridges the gap between ethics and pedagogy by discussing the author’s experience designing a long-form writing assignment around Plague Inc: Evolved for a college-level English seminar. For this project, students first narrated how they refined personal gameplay strategies over the course of several game sessions. Students then discussed how the logic underlying their in-game strategies could be used to further enhance or refine the rationale they use to navigate complex real-world issues in their daily lives beyond the classroom. Results. In undertaking this long-form writing project, students were able to use their self-reflexive gameplay strategies as an outlet for re-thinking how they interpret real-world problems. In doing so, students engaged in a form of ethical inquiry premised upon critical introspection. Conclusion. This examination demonstrates how game-based writing assignments can help students reflect upon and revise the ethical reasoning they use to diagnose and solve complex real-world problems.