White Play: Practices of white European game-development

White Play is dedicated to the critical investigation of white norms in European video game culture. As a popular media with growing, diverse audiences, games have long become an important form of expression for children, adolescents and adults. However, as part of our everyday life, games also have a social responsibility to address structural problems such as racism and xenophobia. The role of white supremacy as the origin of racist thinking and acting in game development and game culture is still strongly underrepresented in the European research context. The White Play project addresses this research gap by looking at discourses and unconscious biases around whiteness in European game development. This is intended to deepen our understanding of the relation between games and racism in order to subsequently develop critical strategies for challenging white dominance. White Play is positioned as a politically motivated research project and is carried out as a cooperation with anti-racist activist partners and stakeholders. The research covers four topics, (1) the white bias in European game theories, (2) the representation of white identity in European video games, (3) racial self-narratives of European video game developers and (4) strategies for confronting white dominance in the European game sector. The study first looks at common ideas around play and games that already create a certain image of the player: When game scholars talk about play in theories, which players do they have in mind, and are they assumed to be white? How might these assumptions be informed by Europes colonial racist past? Secondly, how do European games reproduce (or dismantle) the white norm, for example by portraying whites as heroes and Black, Indigenous peoples and People of Colour as villains or second-class characters? Video games portray stories, but they also create meaning through interactions, rituals, and rewards. How do games allow players to relate to characters of different races? What does this teach us about the values at play in connection to histories of racism and colonialism? Third, how do European video game developers perceive white supremacy in their work? What importance do developers attach to their own racialized experiences or instances of white privilege? How do they negotiate their responsibility towards players and society? Finally, what creative strategies are available to dismantle racism and white supremacy and jointly develop respectful visions for the future? Besides written publications, this part includes practical interventions such as anti-racism workshops, a game development event, a symposium and work with public cultural institutions.

White norms that present whiteness as neutral, superior, or universal are embedded in European game design, game culture, and game research. The project White Play set out to make these norms more visible, to understand how they shape games and knowledge about games, and to explore how they can be actively challenged. European games are frequently treated as culturally neutral, yet many reproduce long-standing colonial ideas. These include white heroes saving the world, competition framed through conquest, and non-European peoples reduced to background scenery or abstract resources. Despite the cultural reach of games, there has been little research in Europe that critically examines how such patterns relate to race, power, and history. White Play addresses this gap. The project was structured around four interconnected areas of work. First, it examined how games and play are commonly defined in game research. These definitions often equate play with fun and positive experiences, overlooking the fact that games also create relationships of power. Questions such as who plays, who is represented, and whose rules matter are rarely addressed. By challenging these assumptions, the project shows how games can also involve exclusion, exploitation, and harm. Second, the project included an interview study with game developers across Europe who are interested in anti-racist work and accountability. An important finding is connected to the limiting effect of white socialisation on creative expression and risk-taking in the European games industry. For white developers, anxieties around self-perceived ignorance around colonial histories and stereotypes dominated the conversations, whilst developers of colour reported frustration around anticipating culturally insensitive products requiring costly fixes, as well as pushing for structural change with little effect. As compensation for participation, interviewees were offered anti-racist training custom-tailored to the needs of game developers. Third, White Play analyzed popular European games, particularly well-known board games, that rely on colonial ideas while still being celebrated as classics. By abstracting colonial violence and framing it as strategy or adventure, such games help normalize unequal power relations. The project emphasizes that critically reassessing beloved games is not about rejecting them, but about developing awareness of their cultural and historical impact. Finally, the project focused on practical and societal impact. The accessible media literacy handbook Fair Play: Confronting Racism and Coloniality in Games was written and published in English and Finnish, offering concrete exercises for discussing racism in games. Secondly, in collaboration with anti-racist, media, and cultural experts, the multi-day Fair Play Game Jam was organized in which game developers created six games centered on reflection, fairness, and anti-racism. All participants received anti-racist training in preparation for the jam. By combining research, creative practice, and education, White Play contributes to more inclusive, responsible, and socially aware game cultures in Europe.