Others
A downloadable game
Others is a one player game for exploring the world of those we see as different than ourselves. The game encourages us to look at people we see as different from us and ask questions about them. This one player experience will not ask us to directly engage with the Others, only to look at them.
Based on research and studies on how we perceive others, and how we value people like ourselves, Others is a series of exercises designed to help us humanize each other. It is a simple, accessible exercise.
CW: Othering
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Community Copies
Thank you for being here and for who you are. For every copy of Others sold, one becomes available to a community member who cannot afford (for any reason) to purchase Others. If you are unable to afford Others, but still want to claim it, please use a community copy. I'm grateful you could join us.
Comments
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Others is an 11 page, single-player rpg that is expressly about humanizing people that you tend to other.
Its core mechanics are journaling and people-watching, and it has some safety notes to manage the discomfort of doing these things.
Thankfully, Others doesn't put you in direct contact with the people you're watching. Whether they're article writers, folks on facebook, or passersby in a public space, you don't actually talk to them or interact in any way. You make a few guesses about what their life is like outside of the context of the things you other them for, and you use that as a foundation to build empathy.
Empathy-building is the goal of the game, and all of the scenarios are constructed entirely to focus on that.
I think if I had to critique Others for something, I would critique it for this. It broadly regards empathy as good and othering as bad, when they're both neutral forces that can be misapplied.
That said, the game teaches a methodology for consciously and intentionally building empathy with other people, and I think that's really cool.
I would recommend Others to anyone who wants to connect more to people they don't know, or who wants to check out a really solid toolkit for empathy-building.
Hi, I can't seem to find Others in the Racial Injustice bundle! The search tools don't pull anything up. 😢
That's strange! Other folks have been downloading it. I know on Others page it mentions being part of the bundle and to click here to go to the bundle and download the games. Have you tried talking to itch help? I don't really have influence over the bundle or how it tracks games.
Likewise doesn't show up in searches for me either.
Something's gone wrong somewhere.
Edit: Okay, so searching "Others" or "Other" doesn't show it, but searching "Oth" did.
No idea why that's the case.
Well that's whacky. I can send codes to anyone who needs them. Just ping me or email me at kate (at) bluestockings (dot) ca
This is a really interesting exercise. I do activist and volunteer work in a rural area of the US where there is a lot of overt racism and we're trying to come up with ideas on how to combat that. Would you mind if I used this to lead a group exercise in my work? I would definitely credit you and I wouldn't be passing out printed copies of it.
Yes please! Use away! Print copies if you want to! I can put into a printable booklet for you if that would be easier for you. Let me know what you need!
Thank you very much! I think the pdf on here will be enough.