Critical Game Design is a hybrid theory/studio course exploring how social justice, critical theory, philosophy, and applied science can inform the creation of effective, culturally-literate and meaningful game art. The course engages with principles of ethical and contextually-aware game design, through exposure to different schools of thought and critical approaches that will inform the student’s capstone projects, as well as work in their postgraduate game careers. Critical Game Design develops student conceptual capacity to analyze the effectiveness and intentionality of gameplay and game mechanics, through a series of practical and conceptual studio assignments, across a variety of game mediums, while exploring experimental, arts-based, and culturally and historically-specific approaches to game making.