The Game: The Game

The Game: The Game is a feminist video game presenting an exploration of consent and the politics, tactics and practices of the male pick-up artist and seduction community. Through the format of a dating simulator, players experience the practices of several prominent seduction coaches (aka pick-up artists). In the game these pick-up gurus attempt to seduce the player using their signature techniques taken directly from their instructional books and video materials. Pitting players up against six prominent seduction coaches who are vying for their attention at a bar, the game provides the opportunity for players to explore the complexity of the construction of social behaviors around dating as well as the experience of being a femme-presenting individual navigating this complicated and often dangerous terrain. It is accompanied by a musical score thoughtfully composed by Xiu Xiu.

The work was supported in part by funding from the College of Fine Arts Faculty Fund for Research and Creativity at Carnegie Mellon University and a Frank-Ratchye Fund for Art at the Frontier Grant.