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7 More Learning Games for Change

I promise Mission to Learn isn’t going to turn into a blog that is only about games. I am, however, increasingly fascinated with the potential of games as educational tools and tools for change, and since posting 26 Learning Games to Change the World, I have come across several other good games to add to the list. Here they are:

I Can End Deportation
I haven’t had a chance to play this one, but it looks very good. Requires a download. (Via David Warlick)

As an immigrant teen you are avoiding ICE officers, choosing right from wrong and answering questions on immigration. But if you answer questions incorrectly, or make poor decisions, you will be detained with no respect for your human rights.

Superstruct
This one isn’t actually available yet. It is an alternate reality game that will start on September 22 and last for six weeks. If you want to play, send an e-mail to superstruct@iftf.org to be alerted when the game starts.

Superstruct is the world’s first massively multiplayer forecasting game. By playing the game, you’ll help us chronicle the world of 2019–and imagine how we might solve the problems we’ll face. Because this is about more than just envisioning the future. It’s about making the future, inventing new ways to organize the human race and augment our collective human potential.

Revolution
This is something of an oldy. It requires a download and also requires that another game on which it is based be installed. Regrettably, I did not think to post it on July 4th.

In the late 18th century, tensions between the British Empire and its colonies on the eastern coast of North America were reaching a critical point. From Georgia to Massachusetts talk of revolt hung heavy in the air, and the threat of war lingered on the horizon. The colonists were about to suffer the bloody birth of a nation, a nation that would eventually shape the course of human history. But this couldn’t be known by the people of the time, who went about their everyday lives much as anyone had through the ages — one day at a time, their only goal to make their way through the world into which they were born.

Exchanging Cultures
This one is based in Second Life, which is fertile ground for all sorts of games.

EC is a diplomatic game within Second life with both short term and long term goals.
Short term: Interact with and complete the games within EC
Long term: Create virtual communities and relationships based on the exchange of cultural items such as dances, art, recipes, clothing, and images of other places for travelers/explorers. Each player becomes a diplomat who must attempt to understand the cultures of the people that he/she is building relationships with, as well as share elements of his/her own culture.

Energyville
From Chevron and the Economist. The marketer in me says “brilliant” while the educator asks “Why didn’t they just fund World Without Oil? ;-)

It’s up to you to provide enough power to meet the energy demands of your city’s 3.9 million people while keeping them prosperous, secure, and living in a clean environment. The implications of the energy decisions you make today for your city in 2015 are based on the current lifestyles and the projected energy demands and costs for developed countries throughout North America, Europe and Asia.

Madrid and September 12th
These are both from newsgaming.com. The both focus on terrorism, but aside from saying that, I’m not sure describing them will do them or their creators justice. Here’s how “newsgaming” is defined on the site:

Newsgaming is a word we coined for describing a genre that is currently emerging: videogames based on news events. Traditionally, videogames have focused on fantasy rather than reality, but we believe that they can be a great tool for better understanding our world. Since newsgaming is so new, it has to find a voice of its own. Therefore, most of our games will be in part experimental.

Think and have “fun.”

Jeff

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