Serial Thought Experiments MEEF: A Modular Emotional Encounter Framework for Narrative Game Design
Hello! I’m designing a game built around morally ambiguous scenarios with the question being asked, who are you in the face of death? Can you make a decision and live with it? The goal is to create emotionally resonant encounters that challenge players to empathize with NPCs and allow players to reflect on their choices. I want to give players a space to slow down, think about the consequences, and see themselves in the mirror, both the good and the bad.
To do this, I created the Modular Emotional Encounter Framework (MEEF). It’s a playtesting method for building short, intense moral dilemmas. It's effectively a series of playable thought experiments. The game itself is structured around trolley problems and prisoner’s dilemmas, where players must act or not act based on incomplete information. Suppose the player does act, whatever the characters say, the player must make their own judgement about a character and likewise the character is its own independent moral agent that needs to decide to either cooperate or fight against you.
Games like Missile Command and Oregon Trail show how game mechanics can support the narrative. The most efficient strategy in both is to let everyone except one die off which is horrifying if you stop and think about it. The Last of Us Part II tried to provoke empathy in Abby but struggled when it forced players into actions that contradicted their own intentions. I believe giving players space to choose or reflect on their choices will creates stronger emotional impact than forcing a message.
Writing research papers at a master's level has been a difficult challenge and doesn’t come naturally to me. I’m still learning how to express my design philosophy in an academic language. However, I believe that games can be a safe space to test your values, challenge your views and decisions. By doing so maybe help you understand yourself a little better. MEEF is my way of designing those morally complex moments. It’s going to be the foundation for the kind of human and thought-provoking games I want to make.
