Morally: A Game of Right and Wrong

Morally was developed during a three months research stay at Teachers College at Columbia University in 2022 and is a game-based learning experience that strengthens moral competence. It is, at its core, a gamified adaptation of Georg Lind's KMDD©, which merges interactive fiction with game show elements. The game was developed as an online experience and hosted on Discord in which players step into the shoes of ancient gods to compete for moral authority. 

Morally is thought of as a game-based learning open source tool for educators to engage students in moral discussion. Its basic game design is illustrated in this core manual and a presentation on the scientific purpose of this project was given at BostonFIG 2022.

At this point Morally consists of two levels that are based on two independent twin stories. Each level can be played with the following instructions: 

(Content Warning: War, Violence, Discrimination)

Level 1: Soldiers

Level 2: Illegals

Morally was developed as an experience that is hosted on Discord and uses Rankit to organise anonymous votes. If you use Morally for a class or as inspiration for your own game-based learning experience please give credits. 

The game was developed by

• Benjamin Hanussek (University of Klagenfurt) - Research, Game Design & Experimental Design, Story 
• Prof. Dr. René Schalleger (University of Klagenfurt): Game Studies & Ethics Advisor
  
• Dr. Joey Lee (Teachers College at Columbia University): Game-Based Learning Advisor
• Tom Reuscher (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology): Experimental Psychology Advisor
• Nick Markazov (CtrlZ Games Collective): Visual Concept & Illustrations 
• Tom Tucek (CtrlZ Games Collective): Quality Assurance
• Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation: Funding & Facilitation

The initial idea of this experience has been explored in this article and the final results of this game-based learning research project can be found on this poster that was presented at ARIT2022.

If you have any questions or feedback please contact me via: Benjamin.Hanussek@aau.at