安博体育

At Pacific University, students are learning that games can do more than entertain — they can change perceptions and build a more inclusive world.

“One way our game fosters inclusion is through ‘army cards,’ which feature a diverse range of characters — both with and without disabilities — each with their own unique strengths and skills,” said Daria Tsybina '26. “Rather than defining characters by their disabilities, the game emphasizes how different abilities contribute to success in different ways.”

Tsybina, along with classmates Kaya Cowles ’25 and Jordhan Spencer ’25, created Crusaders for Change during Professor Erica Kleinknecht’s psychology of games class. Students in the course explored how game mechanics can shape players’ attitudes and behaviors by designing original games rooted in psychological principles such as procedural rhetoric and self-determination theory. Crusaders for Change invites players to work together and reconsider assumptions about ability through trivia challenges and team-building strategies.

As part of the course, students also attended the Seattle Indies Game and Education Industry Collider to learn more about how games can influence society. The class culminated in a Game Jam event on campus, where middle school students from Forest Grove Community School played the new games and provided feedback to the student designers.