Billy Burkhalter: The Maltese man: a video game for wimps

Abstract

In October 2003, I received the approval of the Joint Programme in Communication & Culture to fulfill the requirements of the MA project by designing a prototype for a webbased video game which would provide an entertaining venue where players would learn about the mechanics behind the construction of masculinity. This prototype, along with a test scene (which can be played on most Internet-ready computers at www.sphincter.ca). was completed in August 2004. The purpose of this project paper is to elaborate on the project's objectives with a discussion of how theories of communication and culture guided the prototype's artistic direction, how the prototype contributes to the professional practice of video game design, and how the prototype's ultimate objective - to help male wimps achieve a sense of comfort in their masculine identity - was fulfilled.