Category: Mechanics

  • Dialect

    Designer: Laura Simpson (co-designer)Publisher: Self PublishedRelease Year: 2018Platform: TabletopGenre: Role-Playing GameTaxonomy: Black Cultural Traditions; Development; Mechanics; politics/ideology/history Play as members of an isolated community to create words and phrases that reflect values, history, and culture as you emphasize storytelling and the evolution of language. interviews and other media scholarship Return to List

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  • Black Card Revoked

    Designer: Latesha Williams, Lay BoboPublisher: Cards For All PeopleRelease Year: 2015Platform: Card GameGenre: Party GameTaxonomy: Anti-Blackness; Development; Mechanics Designed as trivia, the title of this game plays on the possibility of having your Black identity taken–or your “black card revoked”– when you don’t know reference to, or hallmarks of, Black vernacular culture. interviews and other…

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  • Objectif

    Designer: A.M. DarkePublisher: Self PublishedRelease Year: 2017Platform: Card GameGenre: Role-Playing GameTaxonomy: Development; Intersectionality; Mechanics Showcasing an inclusive cast of hand-drawn characters across a spectrum of gender, culture, and race, Objectif has players competing to play a card that will match the description of a card that the Objectif Eye, or judge, has played. Players must…

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  • El Paso, Elsewhere

    Developer: Strange ScaffoldPublisher: Strange ScaffoldRelease Year: 2023Platform: PS, Win, XboxGenre: FPS, HorrorTaxonomy: Black Cultural Tradition, Black NPCs, Development, Fandom/Community/Reception, Intersectionality, Mechanics, Narrative Themes, Playable Black Characters, Politics/Ideology/History, Voice Acting/Motion Capture Neo-noir shooter where you play as James Savage and fight vampires and werewolves to save prisoners from your ex, Draculae, the lord of the vampires.…

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  • Black College Football: BCFX: The Xperience

    Developer: Nerjyzed EntertainmentPublisher: Aspyr MediaRelease Year: 2006Platform: Win, Xbox 360Genre: SportsTaxonomy: Playable Black characters, Mechanics, Development, fandom/community/reception, Black cultural traditions A college football game that takes place on a series of HBI (Historically Black Institutions) campuses. Also includes two rhythm mini-games that depict the halftime show and the drum line challenge. interviews and other media…

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  • Treachery in Beatdown City

    Developer: NuChallengerPublisher: NuChallengerRelease Year: 2020Platform: Switch/WinGenre: Action, FighterTaxonomy: Development, Playable Black characters, Black Cultural traditions, politics/ ideology/ history; Narrative themes; fandom/reception/community; Intersectionality; mechanics In Beatdown City, after President Blake Obama is kidnapped by ninja terrorists and the police force is shut down, now-suspended police chief Antonio Santiago enlists the aid of his daughter Lisa and…

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  • Tacoma

    Developer: FullbrightPublisher: FullbrightRelease Year: 2017Platform: Linux/Mac/PS4/Win/Xbox OneGenre: AdventureTaxonomy: Playable Black characters, voice acting/ motion capture; Narrative themes; mechanics, Intersectionality Set abroad a high-tech space station, Tacoma, in 2088, you are tasked to recover the station’s AI and find out why the station was abandoned by the crew. interviews and other media scholarship Return to List

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  • PaRappa the Rapper

    Developer: NanaOn-ShaPublisher: SonyRelease Year: 1996, 1997, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2017Platform: PS4/PS/PSPGenre: RhythmTaxonomy: Black cultural traditions; mechanics PaRappa, a paper-thin rapping dog, vies for the heart of a flower-like girl, Sunny Funny, against Joe Chin, a rich, self-centered dog. interviews and other media scholarship Return to List

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  • NBA Street

    Developer: NuFX, EA CanadaPublisher: EA Sports BIGRelease Year: 2001 (PS2), 2002 (GameCube)Platform: GameCube/PS2Genre: SportsTaxonomy: Playable Black characters; voice acting/motion capture; Black NPCs; Black cultural traditions; Narrative themes; robust character creation system; fandom/community/reception; mechanics; anti-Blackness/regressive characterizations Combining the talent and big names of the NBA with the attitude and atmosphere of streetball, you try to score…

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  • Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City

    Developer: EAPublisher: EARelease Year: 1994Platform: SNESGenre: Action, PlatformerTaxonomy: Playable Black characters; Black cultural traditions; voice acting/motion capture; mechanics On a quest to save the rest of the players, who have been kidnapped, for an All-Star charity game, Michael Jordan must find keys, unlock different doors, and rescue teammates, all while defeating enemies with a variety…

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