Prison Architect is a private prison construction and management simulation video game developed and published by Introversion Software. It was made available as a crowdfunded paid alpha pre-order on September 25, 2012 with updates scheduled every three to four weeks. With over 2,000,000 copies sold, Prison Architect made over US$10.7 million in pre-order sales for the alpha version. Prison Architect was an entrant in the 2012 Independent Games Festival.[4] The game was available on Steam’s Early Access program, and was officially released on October 6, 2015. Wikipedia
Research exclusive to this game
Downing, Steven, and Kristine Levan. “Pains of imprisonment in a “lock em’up” video game: Implications for a peacemaking discourse through new media experiences.” Contemporary Justice Review 19, no. 1 (2016): 142-162.
Treadwell, James. “‘Gaming the System?’The Merits, Myths and Realities in Understanding Prison Architect: Security, Rehabilitation and Violence as Represented in the World’s Bestselling Carceral Video Game.” In Video Games Crime and Next-Gen Deviance: Reorienting the Debate, pp. 175-199. Emerald Publishing Limited, 2020.
Research that includes this game in its sample
Levan, Kristine, Carla Cesaroni, and Steven Downing. “(Mis) Representations of Prison: Gender-and Prison-Themed Video Games.” Games and Culture 15, no. 6 (2020): 653-669.