African farming: would you survive?
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”. The brainchild of IT-University of Copenhagen students, this addictive game forces you to make tough choices on a tight budget. (Does it remind anyone else of the Oregon Trail?) Visit their forum for discussion and suggestions. My advice: start with corn and hope someone offers you a wife.
Other serious games we have written about include: Darfur is Dying, CyberBudget, A Force More Powerful, EU Water Game, Food Force, and a Hungarian budget game.
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Posted an entry on serious games and peacebuilding that references most of the games you mention in your own post (see http://ict4peace.wordpress.com/2006/06/13/serious-games-and-peacebuilding/)
I've been for a long time interested in the potential of games (esp. PC based games) to engender levels of interest in conflict transformation, reconciliation and gender awareness. Not all serious games are designed for peacebuilding and conflict transformation - in fact, to date, most are not.
This needs to change. If we are to talk about ICTs supporting development, games that promote stereotypes and violence in zones and contexts already violent can only serve to mitigate the potential of technology to bring about a better future.
As for 3rd World Farmer, it's a humbling reminder of just how difficult life can be for those of us under a Damoclean sword of famine and conflict.
Sanjana Hattotuwa
Posted by: Sanjana Hattotuwa | Jun 16, 2006 8:57:38 AM