Games to put platforms in their place

Simiran Lalvani seeks to answer Bruno Latour&s;s question, “Why has critique run out of steam?” by offering practical exercises aimed at both platform users and academics. Lalvani argues that the phrase “to put platforms in their place” is not merely a critique but a call for a practice where platform users shift from being passive subjects of platform power to active agents who decide how platforms fit into their lives. Lalvani critiques academic engagement with platforms as insufficient and, to demonstrate her point, has designed two games based on her anthropological research in Mumbai. The first game playfully explores the practice of “toggling,” encouraging players to critically reflect on the interaction between users and platforms. The second game, a card-based simulation, places players in the roles of restaurant owners and delivery workers, prompting reflections on fairness within the game and challenging players to reconsider their academic perspectives on labor and power dynamics.