This piece will explore the ethics of my use of the digitization of the board game Can’t Stop, first to maintain engagement at work and then later to produce a state of psychomachia (“conflict of the soul”) in order to work. These two uses combine to showcase examples of playing when one is only supposed to be working, and working when one is only supposed to be playing. It is designed to answer the following question: When the two are combined - the ludological and the non-ludological - in a manner not transparent to others, is this behavior unethical?

In early 2022, the City College of New York (CCNY) and the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment announced a new public pathway to careers in the gaming industries and related fields. This presentation explores some highlights from the 2021 study undertaken for Science and Arts Engagement New York (SAENY), a not for profit, and CCNY to learn from high school-aged youth the role games play in their lives, families and communities. It highlights key lessons learned about youth and games while sharing techniques developed to surface examples of youth agency within gaming ecosystems.