Settler role playing (pretendsettling): Albert R. Spencer, Justin Bell, Allyson A. Duarte Vela, Tracie Hoops, Cody Spjut, ‘Dog Eat Dog: A Philosophical Exploration of Settler-Colonialism in Role-Playing Game’, The Pluralist, 21, 2, 2026, pp. 6-22 | settler colonial studies blog

Settler role playing (pretendsettling): Albert R. Spencer, Justin Bell, Allyson A. Duarte Vela, Tracie Hoops, Cody Spjut, ‘Dog Eat Dog: A Philosophical Exploration of Settler-Colonialism in Role-Playing Game’, The Pluralist, 21, 2, 2026, pp. 6-22

08Jun26

Excerpt: […] we propose that games are elemental. They embody the interplay of community, engagement, place, and relationality, serving as microcosms of the broader human experience. Games and storytelling are meaning-making processes that define our existence within natural and cultural environments. Role-playing games, like Dog Eat Dog, exemplify the elemental by immersing players in an existential narrative. Dog Eat Dogis not merely a game but an exploration of what it means to be human in an impossible situation. It invites players to reflect on their own responsibilities and roles within our intricate shared web of relationships. These reports present Dog Eat Dogas an example of how games and storytelling can serve as tools for understanding and transforming, through a medium that bridges philosophy, art, and social critique. The game’s structure is simple yet impactful. One player assumes the role of the Occupation, while all other players portray individual Natives of the island. The gameplay unfolds in a series of scenes, framed by a central dynamic: the Occupation enforces a growing list of rules, and the Natives must navigate these constraints to survive, resist, or assimilate.

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