F You, I’m Happy With Me: A Game About Selfies and Self-Love

There is no “respectable” selfie that a woman can post without opening herself up to slut shaming, accusations of conceit, insults about her appearance and character, and more.

DATE

2016

CONTEXT

Created in the Winter 2016 Game Design class (DESMA 157), taught by Eddo Stern

MEDIUM

Acrylic board, heavy paper

PEOPLE

Sara Haas  :  Game Designer

Selfies can be a valuable tool for practicing self-love, yet society expects women to walk an impossible tightrope between having an appropriate level of confidence and being vain. There is no “respectable” selfie that a woman can post without opening herself up to slut shaming, accusations of conceit, insults about her appearance and character, and more. “F You, I’m Happy With Me” is a game that throws out the idea that selfies are shallow and instead embraces them as a powerful component of a woman’s journey to self-confidence. Three selfie-taking women compete against one troll, who insults their pictures and character to gain points. Each woman tries to be the first to complete her quest for self-confidence while helping her fellow women battle the troll. Players switch rolls each round, so all players experience the pressures and rewards of being a female selfie-taker as well as the cruelty of playing as a troll. Players leave the game with a fantastic new set of selfies on their phone, and a new understanding of the complicated and radical implications of embracing the selfie.