Games for Change: Improving through Gaming
There are also games for social change being made on other platforms and genres. In particular, we see Unraveled, a game that seeks to raise awareness of the plight of those who work in a ship breaking yard. Unraveled is an adventure RPG with platformer elements that will run on PCs, promising hours of fun as opposed to the casual mobile game.
Video games are quickly becoming tools of education and self-improvement, and with Games for Change, we can now play video games not just for fun, but for social change as well.
Most of us grew up with the notion that playing video games is nothing more than recreational – that it’s something we do on weekends and it’s meant to be nothing but fun. In the past few years, however, our notion of video games has changed, and in fact, more and more people are starting to take it seriously. Not only is the Museum of Modern Art already featuring over a dozen video games as examples of the perfect execution of interactive design.
Just as the many now consider video games as art, even more now see them as potential instruments for social change. This is seen in the efforts of a movement called Games for Change, which built upon the growing awareness of Serious Games, or games that were designed to help educators reach out to children by incorporating lessons into fun video games. Games for Change has been helping developers of games that try to effect social change through conferences and conventions, and with gaming becoming a much more popular pastime, it seems these games have come at the perfect time.
Just as the many now consider video games as art, even more now see them as potential instruments for social change. This is seen in the efforts of a movement called Games for Change, which built upon the growing awareness of Serious Games, or games that were designed to help educators reach out to children by incorporating lessons into fun video games. Games for Change has been helping developers of games that try to effect social change through conferences and conventions, and with gaming becoming a much more popular pastime, it seems these games have come at the perfect time.
In the past few years, we’ve seen a big shift in the attitude of gamers thanks to mobile games. Because of their casual nature, even people who had avoided playing video games in the past found themselves enjoying simple games on their phones. Betfair, a leading provider of online games, now says that 60% of their customers use mobile, with mobile revenues up by 70% following a 50% increase in the number of mobile users. Mobile phones are able to reach a much bigger audience, and with development of mobile apps becoming much cheaper than games for consoles, we’ve seen Games for Change like the ever-popular Dumb Ways to Die and Nightmare: Malaria. These games aim not just to bring an enjoyable experience to players, who often end up recommending the game to their friends, but also a valuable lesson, which they hope will help raise awareness of certain issues such as, in the case of Dumb Ways to Die, public safety, and in Nightmare: Malaria, prevention of diseases.
There are also games for social change being made on other platforms and genres. In particular, we see Unraveled, a game that seeks to raise awareness of the plight of those who work in a ship breaking yard. Unraveled is an adventure RPG with platformer elements that will run on PCs, promising hours of fun as opposed to the casual mobile game.
Video games are quickly becoming tools of education and self-improvement, and with Games for Change, we can now play video games not just for fun, but for social change as well.
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