Our post about the Village multiplayer online game has been picked up by another blog, audeamus.com, which has recently covered other such games. They all seem to have a third world/development theme – anyone know of online games covering voluntary sector type issues, which aren’t just glorified marketing videos?
Here’s some quotes and items from Audeamus’ earlier post (6th Nov):
Playing 4 Keeps (P4K) is an innovative youth media project that involves a team of Global Kids youth leaders at South Shore High School in Brooklyn, New York. These young people are learning to develop and produce socially conscious online games, while gaining skills in game design, digital media, leadership, and peer education.
They have developed Ayiti: The Cost of Life, with GameLab and help from Microsoft.
From World Bank’s PSD blog: The simply designed 3rd World Farmer is a serious game that “aims at simulating the real-world mechanisms that cause and sustain poverty in 3rd World countries”.
And on Pienso: Sim*Sweatshop is a new online serious game. In the game you are a sweatshop worker who gets paid $6.05 for a full days work. You work 12 hours per day. If you work hard and well you get all you pay. If not, you will be punished accordingly.
And from a comment on the World Bank blog: ICT4Peace blog has an item on Serious games and peacebuilding, which references a Wikipedia entry on Serious Games – many of those listed seem to be about training in more traditional areas, from a quick glance.
