“Games are empathy machines”
Johanna Pirker, Assistant Professor at Graz University of Technology, spent September and October as a visiting professor at the Game Technology Center (GTC) of ETH Zurich. In this interview, she explains what we can learn from video games and why our image of gamers does not correspond to reality.
Johanna Pirker, what is the focus of your research?
I explore how we can use video games and virtual reality to make the world a better place. The games industry is larger than the film and music industries combined. How can we use technologies and insights from this industry? What can we learn from games? That's what I want to know.
And what can we learn from games?
We can find applications for technologies from the gaming industry in other fields, like health or education. For example, our Maroon project is a virtual reality physics lab. It’s based on realistic physical simulations, but I can conduct experiments in there that would be too expensive or dangerous in real life, and learn through them. Furthermore, we can learn more about how people interact with each other from games. And games are one of the few media that can teach us empathy.
How do games teach empathy?
A good example is the game "Path Out". It is a documentary game by Abdullah Karam, who fled from Syria to Austria. You step into his shoes and experience what it means for him to leave his world behind. At the very beginning of the game, I made a wrong decision and ended up in a dark forest. Suddenly a stranger came out of nowhere and shot me. At that moment, a video recording of Abdullah came on and he said, "If I had been that clumsy in real life, I would be dead now." It's a very powerful experience, because in a game I have to make the choices myself. That's why we call games empathy machines. Despite this, there are still relatively few researchers in the world who are working on this academically.
Why are video games such a neglected research topic?
Games are often cast in a seedy light and immediately associated with violence or addiction. Of course, there are games for which this is true. There are extremist games and addictive gambling games. I’m very critical of such developments myself. But there are so many different gaming experiences. Playing a good game is just as valuable to me as reading a book. Nevertheless, as soon as I introduce myself as a game developer, I'm asked my opinion on addiction and violence. It's as if I were a film director and had to talk about pornography all the time. I want to show that the world of games is much more diverse than that.
What brings you to ETH Zurich?
I’ve always been fascinated by ETH. The research and the university climate here enjoy a fantastic reputation. The Game Technology Center at the Department of Computer Science is particularly interesting for me: the team also works on games, but with a different focus than my own research group. And to be completely honest, the mountains also bring me to Zurich, of course.
What does a visiting professor do?
The group and I give each other feedback and explore how we could work together in the future. The GTC's focus is very much on augmented reality, while mine is on virtual reality. We can benefit from each other's experience. I’ve also had the pleasure of co-organising an event with the well-known game developer Pascal Désillets, and I will try to give a talk about my own research. Unfortunately, my stay at ETH was cut short because I’ve accepted a deputy professorship at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. It’s with mixed feelings, because I like it here even more than I expected.
What did you like about the Department of Computer Science?
I already knew that ETH had a strong reputation, but I’m still pleasantly surprised. Above all, I appreciate the openness. There’s often a strong sense of competition at other universities. Here, people are open and transparent but still driven and ambitious, as well as full of joy and motivation for their work. I like that a lot. You can also see it in the students: they are very open and motivated. It shows that they are happy to be here and that the department fosters this climate.
Where did your love for video games and computer science start?
I had access to the technology at a very early age. One of my first memories is going to my father's DOS machine when I was two or three and starting my favourite game. I couldn't read or write, but I knew exactly which keys to press to launch Prince of Persia. That's why I was never afraid of computers. Over time, I found all my other favourite subjects in computer science. I’ve worked with physicists and chemists, with artists, musicians and psychologists. I also enjoy the creative aspect: I'm not good at drawing or telling stories, but through programming I can make the worlds in my head accessible to others.
Which prejudice against games and gamers irritates you the most?
I think it's such a pity when people say negative things about games or are afraid of them simply because they are not familiar with them. After my talks, concerned parents often come to me and say, "My child plays so much Fortnite or Minecraft. What is that? What do I do now?". I ask them if they have ever sat down with their kid and played the game together. And the answer is always no.
“I ask concerned parents if they ever play the games together with their children, and they always say no.”Prof. Johanna Pirker
Another stereotype is the image of the boy who sits in a basement by himself all day. This is not only harmful, but also wrong. Statistics show that the average gamer is over 30 years old and about 50 percent are female, and they prefer to play together with other people. And yet, children are pushed into these roles from birth: boys get blue clothes and complex toys and girls get pink clothes and simple toys. This is absurd. I was very lucky that I didn't face these prejudices as a child and was allowed to play Prince of Persia just like my male classmates.
What are you playing right now?
Return to Monkey Island. It's the sequel to an adventure game series from the 1990s. I also stream it on Twitch so viewers can participate in solving the puzzles. Point-and-click adventures like this have a special place in my heart. I'm currently working on an adventure game myself in my free time, but it probably won't be released until next year.
About Prof. Johanna Pirker
Johanna Pirker is an Assistant Professor at TU Graz in Austria, where she leads the research group Game Lab Graz and researches games with a focus on artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, data analysis and virtual reality technologies. She has lengthy experience in designing, developing, and evaluating games and VR experiences and believes in them as tools to support learning, collaboration, and solving real problems.