Introduction
This post is published by Laura Sharp on behalf of Izah Bowes, Fatima Hayat Malik, Luis Fellipe Moraes Castello, Dhammaporn Paireepinath, Niveditha Muthu Velayutham, Shujie Wen, & Anastasia Lekea. School of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow.
This case study explores the development of Power Shift, an interactive, narrative-based game designed to support critical reflection on positionality and power in higher education. Developed within the School of Health and Wellbeing (SHW) at the University of Glasgow, the game forms part of a wider programme of gamified learning initiatives targeting equality, diversity, inclusion (EDI) and decolonising the curriculum.
Our Power Shift game sits within a wider set of games developed by an SHW team targeting EDI and decolonising the curriculum. The games intend to spark exploration of key decolonisation concepts through gamified learning. The journey toward this particular game began with an observation that, often people make assumptions about other’s lives and experiences based on prejudices and what is expected from people with certain identities or characteristics. Yet, individuals interpret the world and their experiences in different ways, which means that some of those initial assumptions might not reflect their realities.
Through those discussions we found the initial thread to inspire the game we have now. Power Shift is a collaborative game in which players co-create character backstories using prompts that explore how life experiences, identities, and contexts interact. It offers players the opportunity to think about possible interactions between life experiences, characteristics, and contexts by creating back stories or ‘narratives’ as a vehicle to explore the concept of positionality. Thus, the games learning outcome was outlined, ‘Positionality and power are inherently flexible and depend on the people present and the setting. They are shaped by the context a person is in and their past life experiences, as well as their individual characteristics.’
Through collaborative sessions with SHW staff members (Laura Sharp, Ailsa Foley, Saumel Owusu Achiaw, Mia Wilson), alumni (Izah Bowes) and current students (Erin Braun, Fatima Hayat Malik, Luis Fellipe Moraes Castello, Dhammaporn (Amy) Paireepinath, Niveditha Muthu Velayutham, Shujie Wen, Anastasia Lekea) the game was finalised and brought to life. What follows is a collation of the student and alumni reflections on the game development process, and the wider EDI and decolonisation approaches experienced by the students.
In what follows, we share insights as co-creators of the Power Shift game, highlighting the development process and the ways it shaped understanding of power, positionality, gamification, and collaborative learning.
Journey into the Project
Fatima: “As an international Global Mental Health (GMH) student from Pakistan, walking into a completely new academic setting in a new country brought a lot of excitement, apprehension and zeal. One of the first workshops at the start of term that got us all thinking ‘outside the box’ and that gave us the space to recognise and confront our bias and preconceived notions on everyday occurrences, regardless of where we came from, was the Decolonisation Workshop. Our learning did not stop there as we got the opportunity to get involved in the project of this game along with our studies.”
Anastasia: “Attending one of the decolonisation workshops delivered by alumni of the GMH master’s programme introduced me not only to the concept of positionality — the way our identities and experiences shape how we perceive the world — and decolonisation in education, but also to gamification – the practice of incorporating game elements to increase user motivation, engagement, and effective communication. My curiosity and enthusiasm for gamification deepened when I joined the EDI/Decolonise the Curriculum project, where I had the opportunity to collaborate with staff members, alumni, and classmates to develop the Power Shift game. My involvement in this project allowed me to be creative and to grow closer to the members of the team. The collaborative spirit was evident throughout with everyone building upon each other’s ideas and contributing to refining the game to make it accessible and enjoyable for all.”
Amy: “‘Open My Eyes’ would be the first feeling for me as an MSc International GMH Student after attending the Decolonisation Workshop in the School of Health and Wellbeing. Since then, I got an opportunity to be involved with Power Shift Game, which I had never had experience creating a board game before. Before the project began, I could not imagine what the game or the working atmosphere would look like. I felt nervous and unsure whether my experiences, which were far from decolonisation, would be useful for the project. However, all staff, alumni, and international students were so open; every opinion was deeply listened to. The atmosphere and working environment allowed us to openly share our thoughts and feedback.”
Niveditha: “As an international student studying Masters in Public Health (MPH), becoming involved in the decolonisation project and the Power Shift game allowed me to explore how power and positionality constantly change depending on people’s background, experiences and environments. The project brought together students, alumni and staffs from different cultural and professional backgrounds, creating a space for meaningful discussion, collaboration and sharing learning.”
Experience of the Game Development
Shujie: “As a student with an East Asian cultural background, I felt somewhat unfamiliar, and even instinctively a bit unsettled and confused, when I first encountered the concept of ‘decolonization.’ In the context of my cultural life, this is not a core issue we typically focus on. Historically, we were the colonized rather than the colonizers, so an understanding of marginalized groups and power oppression often comes naturally to us. For those in structurally marginalized groups, understanding the mindset of those in dominant positions is already an inherent part of our everyday lived experience.
During the development of the Power Shift game, I brought my unique cultural background and philosophy of survival into our team discussions. I have found that East Asian perspectives often feel relatively invisible in international research and classroom settings. Our culture educates us to restrain ourselves and avoid conflict. This ‘silence’ is in itself a form of cultural difference, but Western culture often misinterprets it as acquiescence or submissiveness. When facing our environment, we tend to look inward, adjusting ourselves to adapt or changing our understanding of the environment, rather than blaming or trying to change the external circumstances. In the environment where I grew up, a widely accepted philosophy is that ‘the strong do not complain about their environment’; if you cannot change the environment, you must learn to navigate and utilize it.
Through this project, I also offered some reflections on Western-dominated narratives. I noticed that many case studies tend to present a typical Western narrative: emphasizing that local indigenous therapies—especially those with spiritual or metaphysical undertones—are ineffective, while Western teams consistently play the role of ‘superheroes.’ However, my cultural background does not allow me to easily dismiss metaphysics. The holistic connection between body, mind, and spirit has played a vital role in the survival and flourishing of our people. Many therapies that Western science considers unexplainable and thus labels as superstition may have actually healed more people; they embody the wisdom passed down from our ancestors. In current academia, almost all globally influential research is written in English, and non-English achievements are often overlooked. This ignores the fact that the truest essence of any culture is usually best expressed in its mother tongue.
When discussing EDI and power dynamics, I also shared that while the original intentions are good, constantly emphasizing and attempting to eliminate a specific issue can sometimes backfire, inadvertently reinforcing stereotypes due to an over-focus. I even reflected on the fact that, as a minority group member, I always have to ‘explain’ my culture more to fit into the environment. Isn’t this very predicament of constantly having to explain oneself also a manifestation of colonial legacy? Why can’t the West understand my culture with the same depth that I am expected to understand Western culture?”
Fellipe: “Participating in the decolonization project and developing the Power Shift game during my MPH at the University of Glasgow was a very enriching experience, precisely because it transformed these discussions into something collective, practical, and accessible. Initially, I didn’t imagine how a board game could address such complex themes as positionality, power, and academic hierarchies, but the process showed how creative activities can generate much more open and honest dialogues.
One of the most striking aspects was realizing how students and professors from different countries, cultures, and professional areas interpreted the same scenarios in completely different ways. At many points, our personal experiences directly influenced the discussions and helped to reshape parts of the game. This made the construction process truly feel collaborative, and not just an activity led by the professors.
One of the aspects that most impressed me during the sessions was how collaboratively and openly the activities were facilitated. The teaching staff constantly valued and encouraged student participation, creating an environment where we felt genuinely heard, empowered, and comfortable contributing ideas, opinions, and personal experiences.”
Anastasia: “Although everyone involved shared the same overarching goal, we each brought different backgrounds and biases that became apparent when we first played the game ourselves. Cultural confusion and misunderstandings around the language used naturally arose. However, the team remained open to discussion, and all voices were heard, resulting in numerous additions and amendments before the final product was reached. These interactions with staff and alumni helped to shift the professor-led educational dynamic that most of us had been accustomed to, fostering a collaborative and less hierarchical environment that was both enjoyable and rewarding to work within.”
Izah: “Regarding the work itself, of all the elements I have helped with, our Power Shift game has felt the most involved. Perhaps because of the way students and alumni were included in the process. The game’s development was recursive, constantly we have been piloting with different staff and students, both inside SHW, and out with the college. This has allowed for so many considerations, new interpretations and feedback from each session being woven into the gameplay, allowing it to shift and change into the shape it takes now.”
Fatima: “The idea that concepts such as decolonisation, power and positionality could potentially be shaped into something that people can actually experience rather than simply read about was very intriguing. The idea that students and staff alike could sit around a board, get involved and roll a dice and pick up come cards that helped us step into character while we discussed openly about bias and perspectives, felt like a bold and meaningful way to talk about these themes.
The meetings held regularly for the team of volunteers to get together and brainstorm ideas was in itself a creative shift from usual student-staff interaction dynamics as I feel like everyone in the room had something to contribute to the conversation and it was an equal learning and growth opportunity for all. Over the past few months from the initial draft stages down to the piloting sessions of the game, the passion and hard work put in by the whole team is evident and very inspirational. Designing scenarios, debating how identity and context should interact and how ‘flexible power’ could be represented in a structured format whilst keeping everything within a time limit in a board-game format, meant that everyone had to step out of their comfort zones and think out loud.
All of us got to shape the direction in which the game ended up going in, the multiple practice rounds held collaboratively were a great chance to discuss how ‘real’ the scenarios needed to feel. Not to mention, the giggles and sighs of frustration when we realised we needed to start again or that we had gotten so immersed in the discussion itself, that we had completely forgotten the game had a time limit!”
Niveditha: “What I noticed most was how the process helped me make ideas like power and positionality feel more tangible and personally meaningful. Engaging in discussions and game highlighted how my own understanding of situations could shift depending on the context and the perspectives of others. It also made me more aware of how individual experiences shape interpretation and how easily the same scenario can be understood in multiple valid ways.”
Takeaways
Amy: “‘Put Yourself in Someone’s Shoes’ is the definition I gave for the Power Shift game. As a game creator, I had several opportunities to play the trial game, and I got new perspectives every time after attending. Diversity and multicultural backgrounds from different participants opened my eyes to see a different world that I have never been to. It also gave me precious experiences to learn from other people. Moreover, the game somehow worked with me to realise the power of dynamics I have encountered in real life through example scenarios of the game. For me, involving the project not only gave me a priceless opportunity to work in diverse environments, but also helped me to step out of my bubble and use other people’s lenses to see the world by learning from other people in society through the game.”
Fellipe: “This experience further reinforced my holistic view of health, education, and teamwork. In addition, it reinforced how multicultural and collaborative spaces can contribute to training professionals and researchers who are more critical, empathetic, and aware of the distinct social realities present inside and outside the university.”
Fatima: “Out of the million things that I learnt by playing a role in the development of this game is that concepts like power and positionality are not mere concepts to analyse but that something we all navigate in our everyday lives, whether or not we recognise it. Creating a game where we can provide space to have meaningful, honest and reflective conversation about bias and perspective feels wonderful. It has definitely changed the way I see my place within the SHW ie., not just as a student learner but as a co-creator.”
Shujie: “Ultimately, participating in the development of this game provided an excellent space for me to voice a different perspective. It allowed me to share with the team the immense internal diversity of Chinese culture (such as the Mosuo people, who practice a matrilineal system and ‘walking marriages’—a stark contrast to the dominant family structures in most parts of the world). It also made me realize that when discussing power and positionality, the difficulties many participants face do not necessarily stem from language barriers, but rather from deeper cultural differences. For us, not everyone needs to go through an intensive immersive experience to resonate meaningfully. Simply bringing our unique cultural lens to examine these everyday power structures, which are often taken for granted, is in itself a meaningful addition to this broader dialogue.”
Niveditha: “Taking part in the project also helped me reflect on my own experiences and how they influence the way I communicate and understand situations. Listening to others allowed me to see issues from perspectives different from my own, which deepened my understanding of flexible power dynamics in everyday settings. This experience showed me the value of collaboration, open dialogue and creating spaces where different voices can shape learning together.”
Izah: “Having begun with this project as a student I have personally experienced a uniquely collaborative environment, I felt truly given a presence in the development process, actively included in meetings, rather than invited as an afterthought. I think the current game design we have reflects that richness which could only come from having included such a variety of voices.”
Conclusion
This journey of game development has been a unique, and evidently beneficial process for us students and alumni to be involved with. The inclusion of such a variety of voices and perspectives is truly reflective of the game in its current version. Our hope for the future of this project is to continue to develop our Power Shift game and disseminate the finalised version as a tool for opening discussion and exploration of positionality, and power as inherently flexible.