:: The 4th Era ::

by Carly Kocurek

 

"Games are particularly provocative because they promise experiential knowledge – whether or not they provide that is debatable, but the promise is tantalizing. That educational potential is tantalizing both when a child manages to steer his car to safety based on his experience playing Mario Kart or when someone who has played a game about depression, or poverty, or hormone replacement therapy comes away with a deeper sense of sympathy, or even empathy. It is that goal of experiential knowledge transformed into emotional resonance that has driven me to continue pursuing that game about abortion. The game has changed since it was the seed of an idea. It’s an interactive fiction game now, for one thing. And, it’s not my very own pet project now; I’m working with a team of great people, and the game is already better for it. For the past six months, I’ve been collaborating with writer and activist Allyson Whipple. For the past two, we’ve been working with illustrator Grace Jennings. That “game about abortion,” now called Choice: Texas as it focuses on the experiences of women in Texas, has a new sense of urgency in the wake of increased abortion restrictions and clinic closures in the state."