Toward a Political Economic Framework for Analyzing Digital Development Games: A Case Study of Three Games for Africa

摘要

This study analyzes 3 digital games for development in Africa, examining them as individual texts that operate as part of a broader international development discourse, and as political economic products with implications for international development and gaming industries. A conceptual framework is proposed as part of this process. By looking at individual games alongside the organizations and funding structures behind them, I argue that digital games, as a new technological platform, do not in-and-of themselves present a revolutionary approach to development across Africa; rather, they both reinforce and subvert dominant approaches already at play.