Rae Watters sits down with host Adam Fromme in this episode of the Thinking through Design podcast. 

“I think that individualism and your perspective is just so valuable. I never want to have a piece of work that I do that I can’t see myself in.” Rae Watters

In this episode, Rae discusses game design, storytelling and the ways interactive experiences shape how we understand one another. At the center of our conversation is the development of Role Call, a collaborative game in which players take on the role of a stage manager navigating the relationships, challenges, and ambitions of a student theater production. Rae’s thesis investigates consent and relationships in games: What if non-player characters (“NPCs”) could communicate not just how they respond to us, but what they want for themselves? Drawing on queer theory, game studies, and communication research, Rae is exploring how games might move beyond transactional relationships in which players simply receive what they want.

Our conversation focuses on what Rae calls “consent feedback”, the design decisions within the game that affect how dialogue, personality, emotional context, and social cues can create more nuanced interactions with NPCs. We also talk about how games can serve as spaces for practicing social understanding, how designers balance a project’s intended message with the experience of play, and why making room for individual perspectives matters.

Rae Watters (he/they) is a third-year MFA student in Digital Animation and Interactive Media in Ohio State University’s Department of Design. With an undergraduate background in computer science and engineering and a minor in game studies, Rae’s work explores consent in games, specifically how non-player characters can communicate their own preferences, motivations, and boundaries. This research informs Role Call, a collaborative narrative and management game developed with Skye Winters, Sophia Reeder, Calvin Than, and Alex Sallade, scheduled for release in Spring 2027. Rae also teaches introductory game design, bringing students from disciplines across the university into the process of creating and understanding games.

You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts.