The Games for Change conference at The New School has opened my eyes to a whole new world. This new world uses games to educate youths in developing places that receive compromised education from the public school system. These games include Minecraft Education among numerous others. Minecraft Education teaches young kids in an effective manner while maintaining the key components that made Minecraft fun. Minecraft Education teaches kids important lessons that they would learn in school. These lessons are taught in a fun manner that incorporates group exercises to help kids work with others. I had no idea that games could have such a profound impact on people. One of the characters from Overwatch spoke at a lecture. She spoke about how people tell her all the time how the game Overwatch has affected their lives. They speak about how Overwatch helps them get through tough times. This touched me deeply. I was astounded to say the least regarding how a game can affect a person like that. This conference has opened my eyes to how a game can change the world.
Games for Seva is a non-profit organization that creates both digital and analog games. These games help teach the youth about Hindu culture. Along with that, Games for Seva prides itself on games that educate the world on Indian culture by debunking myths and half-truths that are often brought up regarding Indian culture. After experiencing the Games for Change conference, Games For Sevas new mission statement will involve making games that help society in a more important and relevant matter that will affect them in their everyday lives.
The conference displayed some very intriguing games that would allow users to become better educated and be applicable in everyday life. Some important games from the previously mentioned conference that will help us includes Axon and Kognito. Axon is a game that will help users distinguish fake news from real news by using the titles of the articles. It maintains this lesson while still keeping the game fun and interesting while also incorporating a virtual reality aspect into the game to increase the amount of fun for the user. Another game that teaches important lessons is Kognito. Kognito is a game that simulates a conversation about a touchy subject. One such example is when you are confronting your friend about his marijuana use and his recent disappearances from work. Furthermore, another similar situation is when you are discussing the alcohol abuse that you have noticed from your friend. Last but not least, another environment involves a doctor trying to talk to a patient about their daughters unhealthy weight gain. Many of these concepts can be incorporated into our games to allow a better experience for the user.
To conclude, the Games for Change conference has helped us at Games For Seva realize the power that games have on the world. If we can make games that are applicable in everyday life while still maintaining the initial goals, we can truly impact the world by making it a better place.
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