Can Digital Games Change the World?

The brief we have been given for this term is to consider the potential for games to be a persuasive medium for something other than entertainment, which poses the question Can Digital Games Change the World?

My initial reaction to this, is to think about what games can do already, it terms of their effect on players. Early games such as Pong and Pac-man, were basic and provided fun entertainment, similar to most other games such as board games or Children's games (for example hide and seek). Once video games began to develop, so did their complexity, they became more than just a game, they told stories and immersed players into a whole other world which made them care about characters and success wasn't just to "win the game" but to succeed and overcome the initial problem. Most recently, games are now pushing the boundaries of the meaning of video games, some games create similar emotions in the player that you would feel more in reading a book or watching a film. Video games and the Industry are still young, but have come so far already in content and popularity, so I believe there is an extreme potential for them to be able to change the world.


This is a talk on Ted of Jane McGonigal and her idea that Gaming can make a better world. In her 18 minute speech she talks about how online gamers spend hours dedicating their time, skill and self belief to saving the virtual world, and how these factors can be implemented to help us save the real world

Interesting sites.

http://www.casualgirlgamer.com/articles/entry/22/Ten-games-that-make-you-think-about-life/ 
http://gamerwho.wordpress.com/2011/04/17/games-that-really-make-a-difference/ 
http://www.forbes.com/2010/05/04/farmville-minimonos-mangahigh-technology-videogames.html