Ok, so I have to admit that I have not really played any sort of video or online game since Super Nintendo was the newest thing. Its just never really been my thing. I’ve always preferred classic boardgames in which you interact with other people in the real world vs a virtual one. That said, I was pretty impressed with the ideas behind Games for Change, and find a lot of merit in what they are doing. Tracy Fullerton, the professor from USC said, “At least two generations of people have grown up with games and … it is part of their DNA to want to express themselves in that form. The bandwidth [of videogame emotion] is usually tension and competition—a sense of aggression. That’s changing.” I think it was this aggression that originally turned me off from games, so it is great to discover that people are working to make a change. Don’t get me wrong, I have seen plenty of aggression over board games too (Monopoly, Risk, etc.) but it doesn’t involve graphic visual detail of killing your opponent. Another great thing about this site is their list of resources. Thats not something I would have expected to find on a game website.
As we move forward in this new age of journalism, I am beginning to realize just how important it is to be able to connect with people on their levels, to find out what they care about and try to create content they will find engaging. Games are a great way to do that, especially for younger audiences.
Summer I am very much on your team in that video games have never been my thing in fact because my interactions and knowledge has been limited, frankly I’ve only seen them as harmful to human potential. That being said, I also found it so refreshing and inspiring to review Games for Change. I don’t think I’m going to wake up tomorrow and want to become a game programmer because of it, but it does point to, as you said a unique way to engage people on their levels in arenas that they spend time in.
I think there is something to be said about making content engaging through entertainment for both youth and adults. I think it’s great that video games create a fun place for kids to learn, build skills and explore personal development skills in an entertaining and safe way that they can bring into the “real world”. I would wager to bet that most American adults would be much more inclined to work on personal development, exercise, change behaviors for social good, become involved in civic engagement, if it was more fun too. In fact I recently heard about video games for adult couples that create fun competition for doing house chores – sign me up!
I was thinking about the reaching younger audiences aspect too, and the obvious answer is games, right? Kids spend spend immeasurable amounts of time in front of glowing screens, why not park them in front of a computer with Games for Change and let them go to town?
But I’m not sure it’s that easy. Some of the games on the site were a bit deep, especially for a younger audiences. For instance, “The Best Amendment” was apparently a metaphor for the rhetoric around the gun-control debate, but it wasn’t made explicit in the game. A 10-year-old would probably see it as just another shoot-em-up game rather than a political statement. That’s why it’s important for the games to be taken in the proper context. The site might actually benefit from a “games for kids” section.
Summer, maybe we should make Boardgames for a Change. Though, I’m not sure what type of audience we could reach. I think we might be in the minority in preferring boardgames over video games.
That would be awesome! I think you’re right though, that we may be in the minority. Although my Grandmother and all of her friends still love to play boardgames. Maybe we could reach people in her generation? lol
Agreed. I grew up in an age of video games but never really played them, so I actually feel kind of disjointed from my suburban generation. Not my preferred medium, but I think if this course teaches us anything it’s that you have to set aside biases over “good” and “bad” media if you’re going to reach the participants you’re aiming for. I enjoyed Games For Change a lot.
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