Play for the Black Box
Using critical play to create awarness towards data privacy issues
Play for the Blackbox is an activist tabletop game around the topic of private data. It functions as a tool to create awareness towards data privacy issues. By focusing mainly on biometric data and biosignals, it is intended to give an idea of how personal data can be. Additionally, differences between different types of private data and their value is being taught. Using categorised real and prospective use cases, the game simulates dependencies between personal data and the motivations to share these. Players are empowered to see and reflect on their behaviour and to critically reflect on the topic of data privacy.
Focus
Research project and Master thesisTools
Exel, pen & paper, Photoshop, Sketch, Camera, OpenBCI KitMethods
Interviews, Surveys, Desktop research and analysis, Prototyping, PlaytestingYear / Duration
2020 / 2 monthMaterial
Research Context & Question
Play for the Blackbox is an activist tabletop game around the topic of private data. It functions as a tool to create awareness towards data privacy issues. By focusing mainly on biometric data and biosignals, it is intended to give an idea of how personal data can be. Additionally, differences between different types of private data and their value is being taught. Using categorised real and prospective use cases, the game simulates dependencies between personal data and the motivations to share these. Players are empowered to see and reflect on their behaviour and to critically reflect on the topic of data privacy.
Design Process
Game elements
Action cards: Describing a use case, costs of data, information on who needs to pay , motivation categories
Event cards: Event description, costs of data or benefit (return of data), information on who is effected
Motivation categories: Categorised in access control, security, health/fitness, convenience, socialising and entertainment
Digitalisation meter: Meter going from “Anonymous” to “Digital doppelgänger”, separated in three scales, one for each type of data
Data token: Categorised and colour coded after biometric data, biosignals and general personal data
Game board & Black Box: Game board with up and down connections and marked fields for event cards. Black Box in which all the data tokens need to be “payed”