Dear Ludic Liberators,
I joke sometimes that I love nothing more than to be at the hands of a brilliant manipulator. I suppose taken literally, the hands of a brilliant manipulator — like a massage therapist — can be unambiguously rewarding. But I do also mean it in the shadowy sense. I love being manipulated by a brilliant psychological manipulator, because there’s nothing like the attention, the persistence, the flattery you get from someone who is trying to get something from you in a covert way. I love to believe the manipulator's charming delusions, to risk being tricked into losing something valuable while winning something too good to be true, and — when I’m ready — to practice my own internal resistance to their shiny trap. In fact, some of you may remember that I already made a game about this a few years ago called Existential Escape Room!
Who would like to join me in further unpacking this guilty pleasure? This month’s ludic liberation lab (appropriately held during the month of mischief) is an invitation to play with manipulating and being manipulated. We will try to gently trick each other, explore what it means to “win”, and then restore our chaotic goodness by unmasking our sneaky strategies. In the process, we will get smarter about the secret games we already play together all the time.
Could we liberate ourselves from external manipulation by becoming better at it ourselves? Join the lab to find out!
🗓 THURSDAY, October 19, 2023 😈
⏰ 6-7:30pm EDT
📍 Zoom
🎟 FREE but registration required (and space is limited)!