Inspiration & World Building
Aim of the game
Players are invited to internalize the Nguzo Saba African values framework and practice these values through a series of quests and stories. The 7 principles: Unity (Umoja), Self-Determination (Kujichaculia), Collective Work and Responsibility (Ujima), Cooperative Economics (Ujamaa), Purpose (Nia), Creativity (Kuumba), and Faith (Imani) when practiced, or played in the form of a game, can help students (players) model academic persistence, collaboration and reflection and discovery of the “true self. Each Principle is presented as an Oracle or ancestor spirit that guides players through the lessons of the principles by engaging a series of community challenges and decision-making moments as they progress.
Epistemology and Theoretical Framework
Maulana Karenga Kawaida developed the Nguzo Saba in the 1960s as a set of unifying values for African Americans with links to traditional values found throughout various cultures and countries on the African continent (Lateef & Anthony, 2018). These values were thought to help African Americans feel a greater sense of connection to their ancestry and promote the health and growth of African American families and communities in the face of antiblack racism and oppression. The Nguzo Saba is a pan-African values system used as freedom technology for those in the African Diaspora.
Endarkened Storywork
Storytelling and oral traditions are at the root of African and Afro-Diasporic Epistemologies. Narrative has long been used as a way to situate individuals within their families of origin, their communities and society as a whole. Toliver (2021) posits that “ Endarkened story work is built within Black and Indigenous frameworks and it asks scholars to consider what is lost, forgotten and erased when we refuse to dream otherwise in qualitative research”. It allows for different truths to emerge outside the hegemonic eurocentric narrative as it relates to what we (re)member and how we contextualize reality (Toliver, 2021).
These two frameworks become discursive tools for (re)membering relational and ethical values through gameplay. Can moral and ethical value systems be taught and integrated through narrative games?
Each Nguzo Saba Principle is stated in both Swahili and English translation. According to Gee (2006), situated meaning relates to the specific context within which words are used. In the game prototype, players learn the meaning of these words, corresponding principles and values through game interactions, story and various cultural scenarios. Further, players engage in embodied empathy for complex systems through the experience of Nguzo Saba as a living system of community (Gee 2006). Players are invited to balance purpose (Nia) with creativity (Kuumba) and Unity (Umoja) for decision-making. Finally, Gee argues that good games share knowledge between the player and the system (2006). Each of the seven principles are represented as ancestor spirits, oracles or guides throughout the game, acting as “smart tools” guiding the players and becoming part of their distributed intelligence (Gee 2006).
Game Mechanics
Players will go on a journey that starts with an ancient story, passed through generations. They will then meet an oracle/ancestor along the narrative arc representing each of the 7 principles. The oracle/ancestor will present a community challenge, a social or academic dilemma that the player can respond to using dialogue, collaborative action or creative problem solving that either represents the principle or the antithesis of it. The win conditions is achieved through successfully using the principle to navigate the challenges presented. Players are then given the opportunity between challenges to log their “instructions for the future” in the book of knowledge.
Tools and Technology
The game will be built using Ren’Py for its narrative engine, which supports the use of visuals and sound to create immersive environments. Afrofuturistic scenes, collages and soundscapes will be integrated and will include drumming and natural sounds that connect the player to the principles using multiple senses. Ren’Py is also useful for simulating oral traditions and storytelling methods used by people in Africa and the African Diaspora as a tool for meaning-making.
Presentation Plan
The game prototype will showcase one Nguzo Saba Principle, Unity (umoja). Players will learn about this principle through a conflict that happens at a fictional local school. Through a series of dialogue choices, storytelling and collaborative problem solving, the player will apply the principle of Umoja as a tool for conflict resolution. The demo of game play will be presented to the class with an explanation of its connection to relevant theoretic frameworks.