Research-Creation
Research-Creation for Ludic Action: integrating game design and community engagement through a lens of playfulness and collaboration.
Research-Creation for Ludic Action
Research-Creation for Ludic Action is the driving force behind my work, integrating game design and community engagement through a lens of playfulness and collaboration. This methodology is rooted in the belief that games are more than just entertainment—they are powerful tools for social change and creative expression. By merging research and creation, I develop projects that not only explore new possibilities in game mechanics but also engage directly with communities to address real-world issues. The goal is to use play as a catalyst for direct action, whether it be in challenging systemic oppression, reclaiming cultural narratives, or fostering environments of collective creation.
My philosophy emphasizes co-creation with marginalized communities, prioritizing their voices and perspectives in every step of the game-making process. Through workshops, collaborative projects, and open-source tools, I work to democratize game design, ensuring that the power to create and influence narratives isn’t limited to those with technical expertise or financial resources. This approach allows for experimentation within minimalistic frameworks, demonstrating that impactful work can come from simple, accessible tools. By weaving together theory, practice, and action, Research-Creation for Ludic Direct Action challenges conventional boundaries, making space for new forms of knowledge, resistance, and playful exploration.
Community Based Research-Creation & Games
Andean Futures
Andean Futures is a collaborative digital game project involving the youth of Pisac, Peru, and the Andean Association Kusi Kawsay. The project explores Andean futures through minimalist, open-source micro-games rooted in local culture and traditions. It envisions a decolonial approach to interactive storytelling, allowing underrepresented voices to create speculative narratives. Designed for future expansion, the project aims to empower more indigenous communities to tell their own stories.
Research behind “Hawk and Puma”
Hawk and Puma is a critically acclaimed minimalist game that pays tribute to Guaman Poma, the indigenous chronicler of the Andes. Through a research-creation process, this game reimagines Guaman’s journey, exploring themes of racism, sovereignty, and religion from decolonial aesthetics and Andean-inspired music.
The Impact of “Wildfire Chile 24”
Wildfire Chile 24 is a direct action game to call for help for the victims of the terrible fire that in February of 2024 claimed the lives of more than 130 people and caused enormous destruction. 15,000 homes were destroyed or damaged by the fire, and the National Botanical Garden suffered an almost total loss of its flora and fauna.
Academic Publications
Peer Reviewed Articles, Works, and Essays
- 2026Where is the Forest? Indigenous-Futuristic Tensions and Representations of Nature in Mulaka and Aztech: Forgotten Gods Indigenous Peoples in/and Video Games. Edited by Ann De Leon, Ashlee Bird, Naithan Lagace, and Wendi Sierra. De Gruyter Oldenbourg. Peer Reviewed. Accepted and forthcoming in
- 2026Consolidation and Fissures: Neoliberal Infrastructures of Play and Game Production in Chile In Gregor White & Darshana Jayemanne (Eds.), Video Games: Creative Clusters in Context. Routledge. Co-Authored with Ariel Grez. Accepted and forthcoming in November
- Resonating Histories: Guaman Poma and Machiavelli in Pixel Art. Interactive Film & Media Journal, 5(1–2).
- 2025Research-Creation using Open Source Tools: Playing the Archive in Hawk & Puma Open Research and Creative Activities Forum, 1(1).
- 2024Reversing the Archive or How Humans Started Archiving Dances from Machines Conceição | Conception. Special Issue on Algo-Rhythms: new directions for performative documentation. Co-Author: Poveda Yánez & Valdivia Hennig. 2024.— Invirtiendo el archivo o de cómo los humanos empezaron a archivar las danzas de las máquinas [Spanish Translation]. 2024.— Revertendo o arquivo ou como os humanos começaram a arquivar danças a partir de máquinas [Portuguese Translation].
- 2024Juego y Cultura en Latinoamérica: La Pelota [Play and Culture in Latin America: The Ball] Teach in Spanglish. Edited by Claudia Holguín Mendoza, Jorge N. Leal, and Julie M. Weise. Peer-reviewed, Open-source thematic unit designed for Teaching Spanish.
- 2016Concepciones de infancia en una escuela con altos índices de violencia escolar de estudiantes a profesores [Conceptions of infancy in school with high rates of school violence student to teachers] Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, Niñez y Juventud, 14(2). Co-Authored with Carrasco, et al.
- 2011El Circo, La Vida en Movimiento [The Circus, life in movement] Revista Chilena de Antropología Visual, 17. Peer-reviewed video essay based on ethnographic work in a Chilean circus, involving eight months of visits and three weeks of participant observation, living, working, and traveling with them in various cities in southern Chile.
Editing Contributions
- 2025Research-Creation and Digital Games: Methodological Approaches from Latin America Edited and introduced by Nico Valdivia Hennig volume collecting research-creation experiences in Latin America, featuring projects by their authors like Atuel (Pablo Quarta, Argentina), Yaopan (Margarita Cossich & Antonio Jaramillo, Guatemala & Colombia), Ominira (Thaii Xavier, Brazil), and Hawk and Puma (Nico Valdivia Hennig, Chile). The volume will include an introduction by the editor on the field in the region, along with an article on research-creation in Hawk and Puma and its evolution into broader collaboration with the Pisac community in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Manuscript due November 2025. In development.
- 2012Actas del 1er. Congreso Nacional de Ciencias Sociales y Educación [Proceedings of the 1st National Congress of Social Sciences and Education] Universidad de Chile Press. Co-Editor: Berho & Valdivia Hennig.
Presentations
Keynote Speaker
- 2024Research Creation Through Minimal Game Design International Symposium on Video Game Studies and Design. Faculty of Arts and Design, Universidad Autonoma de México. CDMX, Mexico. October,
- 2024Creative and Research Process Around Video Games Datos y Relatos. MediaLab, Cinemateca de Bogotá - Centro Cultural de las Artes Audiovisuales, Instituto Distrital de las Artes. Bogotá, Colombia. October,
- 2023Production Dynamics in Latin American Indigenous Games: “By, With, or About?” Ludic, Culture & Knowledge Conference. Ludocrítica: Critical Game Studies Network. Santiago, Chile. December,
- 2023Latin American Ludic Field and Board Game Design as Cultural Expression First International Congress on Board Game Design and Publishing. LudiChile. Valdivia, Chile. November,
- 2018Designing Sound with Gameplay First National Ludomusicology Conference. Ludum, Chilean’s Research Group of Video Game Music. Santiago, Chile. November,
Peer Reviewed Conference Papers
- 2024Research-Creation in Speculative Play: Power and Sovereignty between the Andes and the Renaissance [Paper]. Society for Literature, Science, and the Arts. Dallas, TX, USA. Forthcoming in November,
- 2024Local Narratives, Anime Aesthetics: Cultural Fusion in Latin American Video Games [Paper]. Popular Culture Association Conference. Chicago, IL, USA.
- 2024Cross-Cultural Chronicles: Guaman Poma Meets Machiavelli in Pixel Art. [Paper] Games & Literary Theory Conference. Rouen, France.
- 2024Indigenous Representation in Latin American Games [PhD Consortium]. Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA). Guadalajara, Mexico.
- 2024Game Studies from the Southern Cone: Interdisciplinary Insights and Innovations [Panel Chair]. Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA). Guadalajara, Mexico.
- 2024Game Design for Students and Community Alike: A Teaching Method [Paper]. International Conference on Game-Based Learning. Online, Ireland.
- 2023Where is the Forest? Indigenous-Futuristic Tensions and Representations of Nature in Mulaka and Aztech: Forgotten Gods [Paper]. Indigenous Peoples in/and Video Games Symposium. University of Alberta, Canada.
- 2023Indigenous-futurism in Latin American Ludic Creation [Paper]. 8th IH Graduate Student Conference. UC Merced, CA, USA.
- 2023AI and the Myth of the Author in Game Design: Between Crisis and Creative Opportunity [Paper]. PAMLA 120th Annual Conference. Portland, OR, USA.
- 2022Hawk and Puma: Bringing the 'New Chronicle and Good Government' to the Present (a Video Game about Guaman Poma) [Paper]. NarraScope. Online, USA.
Talks / Public Speaking
- 2024Andean Futures: Digital Narratives and Cultural Preservation through Collaborative Play-Creation Indiana Historical Society. Indianapolis, IN, USA.
- 2024Decolonizing Narratives Through Video Games GAIA, Game Arts International Assembly. Online.
- 2024Weaving Decolonial Narratives through Research-Creation AMaze/Berlin, Arthouse Games & Playful Media Festival. Berlin, Germany.
- 2019Board and Digital Game Design from Chile International Table Top Day. LudóPolis, Chile.
- 2019Psychology and Game Design Video Games as Art. Universidad Católica. Santiago, Chile.
- 2019The Right Game to Start Game Dev Planet. Santiago, Chile.
- 2018Creating Narrative Through Gameplay Juegos en el Parque. Devir. Santiago, Chile.
- 2018Collectible Cards: Production & Design Challenges MICBR. Sao Paulo, Brazil.
- 2017Ludic Entrepreneurship Creative Entrepreneurship. Fábrica de Medios. Chile.
- 2017Making Games from Valparaíso Makerspace. Pontificia Universidad de Valparaíso. Chile.
Academic & Artistic Workshops Led
- 2024Mini-Games for Recreational Equity Health Humanities & Disability Justice Lab. University of California, Riverside. Riverside, CA, USA.
- 2024Empowering Voices through Open Source Game Engines Speculative Play and Just Futurities program. Arts & Humanities Institute, Indiana University, Indianapolis. Indianapolis, IN, USA.
- 2024Minimal Game Design for (New Game) Artists with Open Source Tools Tube Factory - Art Space. Big Car Art Collective. Indianapolis, IN, USA.
- 2024Video Game Workshops with youth for Andean Futures Project Ludic training workshop within the framework of the collaborative research-creation project Andean Futures. Pisac, Sacred Valley, Peru.
Guest Lectures
- 2024Cross-Cultural Game Design Course: Cross-Cultural Design. Indiana University, Indianapolis. Indianapolis, IN, USA.
- 2024Worldviews through Collaborative Research Creation Course: Introduction to Religion. Indiana University, Indianapolis. Indianapolis, IN, USA.
- 2024Guaman Poma and Speculative Play Course: Introduction to Fiction. Indiana University, Indianapolis. Indianapolis, IN, USA.
- 2024Power and Sovereignty in Hawk and Puma Course: American History II. Indiana University, Indianapolis. Indianapolis, IN, USA.
- 2024Minimal Tools for Game Audio Course: Music Technologies. Indiana University, Indianapolis. Indianapolis, IN, USA.
- 2020Game Design and Interaction Course: Interaction Design Workshop. School of Architecture and Design, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.
- 2019Psychology and Game Making Course: Educational Psychology. School of Psychology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.
Ludic Methods + Social Play
Evolving Games
Evolving Games is an interactive workshop designed by Nico Valdivia Hennig, a game designer, psychologist, educator, and game studies researcher. The workshop invites participants from any gaming background to delve into the basics of game design. By tweaking the rules of well-known games like Rock Paper Scissors, it offers profound insights into the mechanics of gameplay and social interaction. This educational approach, cultivated over seven years, not only sparks creativity and collaborative problem-solving but also highlights how minor changes in our surroundings can significantly alter experiences, aiming for positive community and personal growth.
World of Games
World of Games is a culturally enriching and interactive game design workshop aimed at students of all ages. Through exploring and playing traditional games from diverse cultures worldwide, like Mancala, Go, Kuv, among others, participants gain insights into the essence of gameplay and the art of game design. This workshop promotes active learning, collaboration, and reflection on cultural diversity and inclusivity in games. Drawing parallels between game rules and life rules, the World of Games workshop is an engaging invitation to embrace our global playful spirit and recognize our inherent game designer potential.
Additional Participatory Research
The Circus: Life in Motion
During the summer of 2010, I lived and worked with a traveling circus in southern Chile, an experience that deeply shaped my approach to play and performance. Initially starting as an ethnographic research project, this immersive experience allowed me to transition from observer to performer, traveling as a clown and learning about the intersection of work, play, and social dynamics within the circus community.
As Consultant for External Research Projects
Juego de las Estrellas
Research Center in Social Complexity
Ciudad Micro
Center for Research in Inclusive Education
Ponlo en Juego
Paréntesis Foundation
Tu Nuevo Ciclo: Adulto Mayor
Caja Los Andes