Games Without Frontiers Artist/Makers Residency

What's Love Got to Do With It: Lindsay Grace Explains Affection Gaming

Affection Games are a casual play genre in which players hug, flirt, kiss or make love to meet their game goals. There are more than 500 digital affection games currently available to play. This presentation playfully demonstrates a cross section of digital affection games and their conventions. From unicorns kissing in the clouds to star-crossed lovers sneaking off into the night, the genre is evolving. Are these games the yin to violent games yang? In the ever widening demographic of game players, Affection Games offer a refreshing perspective on how we play. This talk outlines the variety of affection games providing a fun, informative and inspiring review of affection play in games. What games are popular, how are they played and what do they say about gender and affection dynamics?​

Lindsay Grace is an associate professor at American University and founding director of the American University Game Lab and Studio. His game designs have received awards from leading organizations around the world and he has given talks at the Game Developer's Conference, the Games for Change Festival/Tribeca Film Festival, and many others. He has published more than 40 papers, articles, and book chapters on games, while his creative work has been selected for showcase in more than eight countries and 12 states. He is currently the Vice President of the Global Game Jam™ and serves on the board of directors for the Digital Games Research Association. He is a key partner in American University’s Knight Foundation-funded Jolt initiative to reimagine media leadership through game design and systems thinking.

The Games Without Frontiers residency is generously co-sponsored by the General Education Program at Temple University.