Alienation

Abstract

Amid a wide scholarly and public focus on disability in the public eye, I aim to focus on the paradox of invisible disabilities. In my life living with an invisible physical disability, the duality that comes from existing as an othered person who escapes constant scrutiny has shaped how I interact with the world. Interactions with others focus on how visibly I other myself or make known my differences, and interactions with the world remain limited on the basis of access and not wanting to find a surprise barrier when I'm around others. This duality shifted my focus to technology and the way the world can be experienced in a physically anonymous way. The intersection of technology and ability is a conversation about access and security, as well as a commentary on spaces that indiscriminately accept both abled and visibly and invisibly disabled people. The internet as a separate world for disabled people sparked my interest in how disabled people exist in the real world, and how this correlates to internet spaces as a disabled utopia. Game: Alienation. In the distant future, aliens coexist peacefully on Earth.This doesn't mean the day to day doings of Earth has changed for these aliens - No, the rigorous societal pressures of Earth continue to push the Alien inhabitants to struggle with day to day tasks. So, quite literally, take this plunge. Become the alien on Earth, fumbling through school, through friendship, through life, and join the struggle to make it daily. Play as an alien character with tasks to accomplish before your day, or energy, runs out. Do all of this while avoiding the gazes of your peers, watching for signs of your Alieninity and waiting for a chance to isolate you. This game will take the way the internet is a resource and shelter for disabled people and turn it into a relatable gaming experience for them. At the same time, the relatable experience for disabled people is a learning experience for abled people. The challenge of constraining your actions in a day to time or energy is something abled people are faced with less often and in less extreme ways than disabled people. The seemingly easy tasks paired with frustration will open dialogue about the perception we have of how easy we believe navigating life should be.