Enjoy our first lecture in the Transformative Play Initiative Event Series:
“Everything is the Self: Designing Character Ensembles for Player Catharsis”
Whitney “Strix” Beltrán
Description: Humans often use the reflection of themselves that radiates back at them from others to help define their identity. Using techniques inspired by Carl Jung and depth psychology, games narrative designer Whitney Beltrán explains how deploying a calculated cadre of archetypally derived characters in an ensemble can build space for players to achieve self-insight and integration.
Presenter bio: Whitney “Strix” Beltrán is a multiple award-winning narrative designer for video games and TTRPGs. She is the Project Narrative Director at Hidden Path Entertainment, on an unannounced AAA Dungeons & Dragons title. She holds a Master’s degree in Mythology and Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute, Santa Barbara.
The Transformative Play Initiative Event Series is hosted by the Games & Society Lab at the Department of Game Design, Uppsala University Campus Gotland. The series explores the use of analog role-playing games and other forms of play as vehicles for lasting personal and social change.