LIve blogging from the Serious Games Conference - usual disclaimers apply to typos, etc. Will clean up later.
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Dick Cavett quote: Does comedy on television lead to comedy in the streets?
Speakers:
Douglas Thomas, USC Center on Public Diplomacy
Hardy Merriman, International Center on Nonviolent Conflict
Stephen Friedman, MTV U
Douglas Thomas:
We're closet gamers. We decided to ask Europeans who were playing the game whether or not they knew they were playing with Americans. "Americans aren't that bad as you play with them." Came to the idea that if people play together, they tend not to think of people as different nationalities. They think of each other as gamers. When they find out you are an American, there is a moment of cognitive disonance, but then they come to: "You're not so bad as an American."
The model of State Department's Cultural Exchanges. These are powerful experiences. Those people come back and have greater depth of understanding.
There are half of million people playing star wars galaxy. This is a great place to do public diplomacy in the gaming world. Do you we teach coders the basic tenets of public diplomancy or vice versa? We put out a call and got a number of responses from game programmers. We identified four finalists. Three out of four of these were on Second Life.
Peacemaker was the first place winner.
We created an Island in Second Life to forward this agenda. Next, we're going to centralized a database. To get gamers to hook up and play. We go to WOW server and get a group together. Engage in some practices that overcome differences.
Stephen Friedman - MTV U
We started with activism - pushing and questioning authority. We decided to follow our artists and engage the audience on this issues. We're working with most web savvy audience. College students have led the fight on issues. Activism has evolved beyond sit-ins. How can we take it into the digital world. We announced a contest to create a game to address issue in Sudan. Darfur Is Dying was the result.
The founder and creator of game consulted people in Darfur. More than the addictive nature of game, the action it can take. 700,000 have played the game. Darfur is Dying was created at last year's GFC.
We're following up with a new game. We're going to give out 10 $25K grants - one game in particular - University of Denver students created a game called Squeezed. Glimpse into immigrant farm workers. MMOG - users can compete selling produce. First person pickers. Hope is that game will give attention to ways of domestic food production, immigration, explotation. Will debue in September.
Staying Alive: Viral Video - preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS -- look for it in August.
Digital Incubator Content - ten grants broadband innovators. Grants won't be capped at 25K. Grants will inspire young people to create breathtaking games. It's what rock and roll rebellion is all about.
Hardy Merriman - International Center on Nonviolent
Force more power - strategic nonviolent theory. We do research in non-violent struggles - strikes, protests, etc. A game on how to build a movement and be strategically planned. A way to test strategies for nonviolent strategies and action for change. We look at it as method. How does it work for social change. In the game, you are a strategist for a movement. Meanwhile, the computer is running your opponent. While you are trying to build your movement, the AI of the machine is looking for your weaknesses. The AI is really smart. His first game, his activist got locked up and thrown in jail. Money went into the AI how the computer thinks versus flashy graphics. Wanted it to be relevant for activists.
There is a heavy investment to get to play the game. There are about 50 different variables to base decisions. Part of what people learn, what variables are important to pay attention to. How to deal with this confusion of variables to make effective decisions. The game shows you scenarios -- e.g. a dictatorship, corruption, back sliding democracy, ethnic minority, labor organizing, self-determination, and being in a democracy (not violently oppressed - get government to change its stance on the world). The most value that will come out of this game, when people start designing their own scenarios. They can enter their map, their country, airports, demographics, etc.
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