DDM Speakers: Videogames Reimagined: The Poetry of Expressive Games

In this talk, "Game Poems" author Jordan Magnuson explores how small, expressive games function as interactive poetry. By examining games through a poetic lens, designers can discover new approaches to creating meaningful experiences. Jordan will share insights from his book, tracing connections between poetic principles and game design — from experimental indie projects to mainstream titles. He'll demonstrate how concepts from poetry can deepen our understanding of games and inspire designers to craft more resonant, impactful work.

In 2005, Jordan Magnuson founded The Independent Gaming Source (TIGSource), a community that helped launch landmark indie titles including Fez, Spelunky, Papers, Please, and Minecraft. His own games—Loneliness, Ishmael, and Freedom Bridge—have been showcased at festivals and galleries across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, archived by the British Library, nominated for the IndieCade Grand Jury Award and New Media Writing Prize, and featured in Wired, PC Gamer, and Le Monde. Jordan regularly speaks at GDC, IndieCade, Google, USC, and MIT, collaborating with artists, poets, and researchers to explore the cultural and emotional possibilities of games. Author of Game Poems: Videogame Design as Lyric Practice (Amherst College Press, 2023), he leads the Game Poets Discord community and currently serves as Senior Lecturer in Games and Media Art at the University of Southampton and 2024–25 Fulbright Fellow in Digital Culture at the University of Bergen. https://jordanmagnuson.itch.io/

Funded by the Ian Gillespie Faculty of Design + Dynamic Media.