So, I’m known really for many of the social change–based games that I create. Whether it’s the physical, fiscal sport Budgetball that’s played on the National Mall and talks about what it feels like to go into debt and what it feels like to get out of debt—both on a personal and federal level—to a game that gives a history of activism in different cities called Re:Activism, which has been played across the country.
You know Brecht used, had a quote, something about, “Art should not be a mirror; it should be a hammer to shape reality.” And I think there’s something interesting there, and I do think that games and culture provide us with an opportunity to push against the boundaries of a system and the rules of the system so we really look at all the possibilities. We break out of our own thought patterns and find new ways to think, and new perspectives and new points of view.
It lets us play as a kind of person that may not be socially acceptable in real life. So, you know, I can go out there and explore all kinds of issues without the kind of serious consequences that I might have in real life. So, play gives us that opportunity to really try things out, and then, maybe when we’re done, to think about how we can apply that kind of playful mindset to the world we live in.
In today’s climate of political strife, environmental crisis, and escalating international tensions, it makes sense that games offer an opportunity for escapism and fantasy. Increasingly, however, game designers and gamewrights are turning a responsive eye toward current events and drawing on them for inspiration. In this week’s link pack, we think about play globally.
Highly produced life-like games—and games based on historical events—are, of course, not new to the gaming world, but indie game companies and designers are using everything from world events to community activism to personal experiences to build meaningful, education, and empathy-building games.
The war in Syria has been rich fodder for distilling understanding about the migrant crisis. Path Out is an autobiographical game that follows its creator, artist Abdullah Karam, as he escapes Syria—dodging land mines and armed military, the game may look like a Japanese anime, but addresses not just the war and the refugee crisis, but also the heartbreaking decisions families have to make about who stays and who goes. Bury Me, My Love, is a beautifully rendered interactive fiction game that presents as a WhatsApp conversation between Nour—who has hopes of reaching Europe from her home in battle-riven Homs—and her husband Majd. The player communicates—in the role of Majd, who stays behind—with Nour as she makes her stressful way out of the country.
Here is an excellent—and often surprising—overview of Iran’s gaming industry and the role politics, sanctions, and the black market have on it.
Is Israel weak at gaming at the expense of augmented reality? There is an app that can be downloaded at an Israeli-sponsored exhibition that “disappears” the Al Aqsa Mosque from the landscape.
Climate change is also a point of interest for many designers. Patrick Jagoda of the University of Chicago will soon be launching an ARG called Overcast and Earth Primer is billed as a progressive earth sciences textbook textbook you can play with. Old Weather is a participatory game that will help scientists gather and catalyze historic Arctic weather data to better understand the impact of climate change.
Block by Block takes Minecraft as a base for empowering underprivileged communities to improve their surroundings.
Closer to home, studies show that returning veterans can find coping mechanisms through the avatars and gameplay mechanics of video gaming and VR.
“Play gives us that opportunity to really try things out, and then, maybe when we’re done, to think about how we can apply that kind of playful mindset to the world we live in.”
Can games promote social change? Game designer Colleen Macklin talks with us about how play has a unique ability to change the way we think.
