[Edited to add games links!]
As I described in class Thursday night, your assignment for Tuesday, May 5th is to play one (or more!) of the games that I link to here from the Games for Change website. I’m picking just a few so that our class discussion can be a little more focused, but you are welcome to also play any of the other games at their site that interest you, and to mention them in class.
When you come to class, I’d like to hear about whether you think you learned more from the game than you would have by spending the same amount of time reading about the topic it addressed. Did you feel more intensely about the social situation than you did before you played? Did it seem more real to you, or more important?
Games for Change main game page
[Feel free to have a look at the page right now — I’m going to pick three or four games for us to look at from the whole list, and I’ll post those.]
Darfur is Dying — about the genocide in Darfur
Against All Odds — about the global refugee experience
The Arcade Wire:Airport Security — about airport security
Garbage Glut — waste management in NYC (we’re going to read about this soon!)
Pick at least one game to play and come to class ready to talk about what you think about it.
Thanks for going along with me — I think this is going to be a great class discussion!
I played a few of the games but the one that really gave the best insight for me was against all odds. The game did help me learn more about what kind of mental stresses refugees put themselves through in order to escape their own country and start a new very difficult life elsewhere. The games are definstely a great method for understanding if you are able to imagine yourself in the different situations. However I do not think they are a better method then learning hard facts about these different situations because after all it is still just a game .
This is really attractive to have interactions with a virtual world through a game. I found all the games interesting especially because they show in detail and interactive way daily situations. It is really depressing realized the way people treat one to another. One of these games “Against all Odds” really shows all the difficulties a person can have just by being from a different country and speak another language. There is a sense of discrimination in the whole story and everywhere the person moves throughout the game. Nevertheless, I believe the games also make people conscious about the reality and facts that are on every corner of each country.
Very educative!!!!!!!!!
I played all four games and enjoyed each one of them in a different way. Some of the games made me feel sad and helpless, while others were just offering educational information about things that happen in our society on a daily basis. Darfur is Dying is a game that really touched me. I can’t believe that while there are kids in NYC wasting their money on stupid things (like cigarrettes) and hanging out in the streets late at night, there are kids in other countries that have no money to eat, or even buy water for personal hygiene. I cannot imagine being unable to go out during the day, let alone at night, because there is someone out there who is going to rape me if I do. Just thinking about the possibility of going through a similar situation makes me really upset. The fact is, the world is very uneven and unfair. On another note, I really enjoyed the Airport Security game. I think it’s a very challenging game. It shows how important it is for the TSA agents to stay on top of their game for our individual security and the security of our nation.
I played all the games, the one that I liked the most was the airport security. I grew up in Israel so I kind of used to all the security requirements in public places. I’m not sure that people understand the importance of that security. Last class one of the students gave Israel as an example for securities issues regarding terrorist attacks and buses bombings. I guess that playing safe and having security people in every public place works, because there were no bus bombing in Israel for years now. It may be annoying to open the bag each time you get into a mall, but after a while you get used to it, and if this is what makes you safe so I guess it worth it…
I played the “Darfur is Dying” game and it was very eye opening. It’s crazy what people there have to do on a day-to day-to survive. Living in the US such living conditions are out of sight out of my because we’re not risking our lives everyday just to get the bare necessities (water and food). What was even more interesting was that you couldn’t choose the adult man in the family to go out and get the water as if he were the most valuable. The adult woman was too slow and captured right away. I was able to make it to the well and back but only with the children. They were the fastest runners. It’s really sad that that’s the kind of lives these children live, growing up fighting for survival and fearing for their lives.
I played ” Against the Odd” game which reminded me that when I came to the United States. It’s very tough when you came to the new country without knowing English, and people refuse helping you. I also had to struggle with difficulties in school, in new host family, and in new environment. Now, I get used to living here. I think that these game are very helpful since it also teaches us some truths about this life. It’s much better than other games which is so violated, and it didn’t teach anything.
After playing the game, “Darfur is Dying”, I was really curious as to what exactly was the conflict that was occurring over in Darfur. I had not been enlightened about this conflict and so called “war” in Darfur until this game. From the following link:
http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/Features/0,,2-11-37_1609178,00.html
we can have a clearer understanding of what exactly happened in Darfur. It is apparent that the government in Sudan had ralleyed a group of Arab tribal fighters to take down a couple of non-Arab rebel groups. This conflict actually resulted in the harm, death and harrassment of many innocent villagers.
This game helped us understand the intensity of the conflict and war occurring in the region, how individuals must struggle and strive to do anything just to survive and get food and water for themselves. Life to these people is a constant battle of survival.
This was a fun and interactive way to learn about what less unfortunate people than us have to go through on a daily basis just to survive. It makes me realize how much we take our life here and the things that we have for granted. When I was playing I was in fear of gettinc caught and killed by the militia and it gave me such a sense of sadness and sorrow to know that this is how these people live every day; in fear. These are just games for us but they are a mirrored reflection of real life for many people in the world.
Playing these games definitely gave me a better insight into their awful situation. It was interactively living their life and getting involved in aspects that surround their real world, which I thought it was more educational and it had a better and stronger reaction than text.
This was a fun an interactive way to learn about what people less unfortunate than us have to go through on a daily basis just to survive. It makes me realize how much we take our life here and the things that we have for granted. When I was playing the games I was in fear of getting caught and killed by the militia and it gave me a sense of sadness and sorrow to know that this is how these people live their lives; in fear. These are just games for us but they are a mirrored reflection of their real world and the situations that they have to go through. By playing these games I got to see the circumstances and horrible conditions that these people experience which I thought it had a better and bigger reaction and impact than by reading text alone.
After playing The Arcade Wire: Airport Security, I started to think about what the TSA and Homeland Security Agents have to go through day in and day out to keep our country safe. Making sure the passangers are following the rules when it comes to items that are not allowed and making sure everyone is safe. I wasn’t aware how difficult it can be until I played the arcarde game. The lines start to get longer and longer, people not paying attention to the items not allowed, people getting angry and I was trying to focus and do my job. Very hectic. Nice game.
I played all the games, but the game that definetly was most frustrating was the Airport security game. There were a few concerns, one of them being how impossible it was to actually win in that game and how poor the game was actually designed. It was very hard to actually see the items in the bags. I’m pretty sure alot of people felt the same way. I think its one of those games that only the designer can play. I didn’t really understand what the point was of this game. One game that I found very interesting and well developed was the Darfur game. It teaches alot about the situation in Sudan and how alot of refugees actually have to risk their lives daily in search of one of the basic necessities of life.
I think that these games are interesting and they make people think how they would behave in each of these situations. The game called “airport security” made me realize that we are going a little too far and are making traveling a horrible experience. Safety is important and we should do everything to protect ourselves. However the situations at the airport are humiliating to many people. I think that we have been in situations like the person in game “against all odds”, especially those of us who are immigrants. When people travel to foreign countries and encounter obstacles it is very frustrating experience when you need help and don’t know the language. I think those game are good because they educate people.
I played the Darfur game and I actually had no idea that games like these were even in existence. I feel that these games are actually a great way to create empathy in people for the people who are actually in these situations. Call it exploiting the situation, but I feel that perhaps it might be necessary to create some kind of awareness. You can watch a documentary on this and feel bad for these people in Darfur, but by actually being in this situation you get a small taste of the intensity of a simple task of retrieving water. Even small children can become victims, which is the reality of Darfur. This game has definitely opened my eyes to the danger these people in Darfur face everyday.
The one thing that got me, in “Darfur is dying”, was when one of my characters got “caught” and a screen stated “at a computer miles away and the opportunity for another chance, will you continue?” (something like that). I realized (not that it wasn’t obvious) that these kids won’t ever have that opportunity to “play again”. The can never press a refresh button or hit the home button to return to the start. Once they get caught, they’re caught and that’s the end of it………how awful.
All of the games are informative and I find myself more engaged in the subject than reading text. It brings emotion and real virtual image to us compared to the imaginative image which we create independently in our mind. I believe these educational games will be utilized in schools in the future.