It isn’t just a game - (PlaybyPlay 2026)
Slides can be downloaded here
This page contains my slides and resources for my PlaybyPlay talk (May 2026) called This isn’t just a game, which navigates the journey of how game makers and creators already have the core skills to engage in liberation work inside the sector, in our relationships and communities, and as people.
I hope the slides and the resources are valuable on your liberation journey.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at serena_lal@hotmail.com
Resource List for Game Makers in Aotearoa
Aotearoa, Decolonisation, Anti‑Racism
Tātou Tātou — Resource Library
https://tatoutatou.org/resourcelibrary/Moana Jackson — “Where to Next? Decolonisation and the Stories in the Land”
https://e-tangata.co.nz/comment-and-analysis/where-to-next-decolonisation-and-the-stories-in-the-land/The Workshop NZ — How Racism Works in Aotearoa
https://www.theworkshop.org.nz/resources/how-racism-worksActionStation — Anti‑Racism Starter Pack
https://actionstation.org.nz/campaigns/anti-racismTauiwi Tautoko
https://www.tauiwitautoko.com/Pākehā “Paralysis”: Cultural Safety for Researchers
https://groundwork.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Liberation-Decolonisation.pdfPākehā Project NZ
https://pakehaproject.nz/White Supremacy Culture — Tema Okun
https://www.whitesupremacyculture.info/
Indigenous Frameworks & Aotearoa Context
Haumanu Framework
https://www.arataiohi.org.nz/copy-of-download-kaiparahuarahiKaiparahuarahi — Intersectionality Model
https://www.arataiohi.org.nz/copy-of-download-kaiparahuarahiMaramataka — Te Papa
https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/discover-collections/read-watch-play/maori/maramatakaMārama Taiahoaho — Youth Development Through Play
https://www.jrmckenzie.org.nz/stories/mrama-taiahoaho-taking-youth-development-from-the-p-to-the-playing-table
Liberation Framework — Books
Paulo Freire — Pedagogy of the Oppressed (book)
bell hooks — Teaching to Transgress (book)
bell hooks — All About Love (book)
Frantz Fanon — The Wretched of the Earth (book)
Linda Tuhiwai Smith — Decolonizing Methodologies (book)
adrienne maree brown — Emergent Strategy (book)
Imagining Decolonisation — BWB Texts (book)
Systems, Power, Design, Imagination
Donella Meadows — “Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System”
https://donellameadows.org/archives/leverage-points-places-to-intervene-in-a-system/Movement Generation — Strategy
https://movementgeneration.org/strategyYES! Magazine — Imagination as a Political Act
https://www.yesmagazine.org/opinion/2020/10/29/political-imagination
Games as Learning, Systems, and Rehearsal Spaces
Mary Flanagan — Critical Play (book)
https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262518659/critical-play/Ruha Benjamin — Race After Technology (book)
https://www.ruhabenjamin.com/race-after-technologyIan Bogost — Persuasive Games (book)
https://bogost.com/books/persuasive_games/Queer Game Studies — Ruberg & Shaw (book)
https://nyupress.org/9781479830709/queer-game-studies/Katherine Isbister — How Games Move Us (book)
https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262034265/how-games-move-us/The Uncensored Library
https://uncensoredlibrary.comCities: Skylines — Urban Planning Case Study (Guardian)
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/mar/13/cities-skylines-urban-planning-simulation-gameCities: Skylines — Stockholm District Planning (PC Gamer)
https://www.pcgamer.com/how-cities-skylines-is-being-used-to-build-a-real-life-city-district/Escape From Woomera — ABC News
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2003-08-21/escape-from-woomera/1473298
Creative Sector, Labour Rights, Hobbit Law, Guilds
Film Industry Workers Act (Hobbit Law) — Employment NZ
https://www.employment.govt.nz/starting-employment/rights-and-responsibilities/film-production-workers/MBIE — Film Industry Working Group
https://www.mbie.govt.nz/business-and-employment/employment-and-skills/employment-legislation-reviews/film-industry-working-group/Equity New Zealand — Resources
https://www.equity.org.nz/resourcesThe Creative Independent — How to Start a Creative Guild
https://thecreativeindependent.com/guides/how-to-start-a-creative-guild/ActionStation — Anti‑Racism & Community Care
https://actionstation.org.nz/campaigns/anti-racism
