My video game, A+, explores the influence of meritocracy in video gameplay and narratives that reinforce the emphasis on ability and talent, resulting in the marginalization of groups that do not meet the criteria. In games, our efforts seem to consistently pay off—the more we engage, the more potent we become. Nevertheless, the concept of meritocracy remains largely fiction; skills and efforts are not the sole contributors to success. Identity, social class, generational wealth, luck, and other sociocultural factors also differentiate people, excluding certain groups from the conversation. The issue of meritocracy is prevalent in multiplayer gameplay. The reason for losing a game is not that the team members refuse to give their best effort but rather that the game design favors players with specific skills. This may cause conflicts between players.

The demo of my game focuses on poor teamwork. It is a single-player role-playing game (RPG), in which a player engages in combat against enemies in collaboration with a non-player character (NPC) programmed to act on their own. In order to win, the player needs to actively communicate with the NPC and use strategies to foster effective teamwork. By involving players in interactions, the demo encourages players to reflect on their own multiplayer gaming experiences, discovering system biases in designs based on a celebration of meritocracy.

zhuoran-ma.itch.io/a-plus