Social change through games

This week I explored gaming and simulations in regard to social change issues.  The two games chosen were both located through the blog site, Purposeful Games for Social Change. 


The first game, A seat at the table players choose one of few different scenarios that takes them into the shoes of a person in another part of the world.  Each scene provides information on the player's role and asks the player to make a decision.  Based upon the decisions made, the player enters the next level where more decisions will required. 

This role playing game allows learners to experience the hardships that people throughout the world go through on a daily basis in order to feed their families.   I selected this technology to give learners an opportunity to see how their choices about what products to buy have an effect on families globally. 

The first way that I would incorporate this game into a classroom is to introduce the topic of social change.  What is it, why does it matter and how can everyone play a role?

The second way that I would incorporate this game is to have learners share their own experiences through a round robin small group exercise.  With the recent recession, many learners may have experienced a job loss for either themselves or a family members due to overseas outsourcing.  By sharing experiences, learners will be able to see that issues related to the productions of goods and services can effect people from all walks of life.

The second game I chose was Ayiti - The cost of life.  While having a similar vein as the first game, this game focuses on how health, happiness, education and money factor into the well-being of a family unit in a rural 3^rd world environment. 



The player is guided through 4 growing seasons on a family farm. Along the way there are health concerns, expenses, food and survival at risk. The task is to keep everyone alive and thriving which is not easily done.


One goal of the game is to help each child complete an education in order to lift the family out of poverty. This is challenging because there are many barriers that stand in the way of receiving a formal education.


The two ways that I would incorporate this game into the classroom. First, I would like to have learners play the game on their own and then within a group. A discussion would follow to compare and contrast the learning experience from a solo or group effort. 


Did the player perform better on their own or was it beneficial to have other people weigh in on the decision process? What challenges did the learner experience in trying to come to a decision as an individual or as a group member? How could they have performed better in either setting?


The second way that I would incorporate this game into a classroom setting would be as an introduction to a reflective journal assignment on the importance of engaging in global social initiatives. I would encourage the learner to relate the gaming experience to a social need that they are aware of and ask them to come up with ideas on how they could participate in the change mission. 


Many educators, like me, are beginning to realize that gaming and virtual worlds reach learners deeply. There is more involved than just entertaining one's mind for awhile. In order to create social change leaders, we must provide opportunities for learners to see what they are facing. Virtual worlds provide a first glimpse into life halfway around the world with the least amount of travel time. "...[V]irtual worlds change human capacity for collaboration, communication, interaction, and learning" (Bonk, 2009, p 287).

Reference

 

Bonk, C. J. (2009). The world is open: How web technology is revolutionizing education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.