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US techies attempt to save the world
Published on Wed, Jun 28, 2006 at 12:30, Updated on Wed, Jun 28, 2006 at 12:55 in Sci-Tech section
Tags: Videogames, Humanity , New York
New York: Parents may worry that violent video games are bad for their children, but the technology can help save the world by raising awareness of the world's downtrodden, a group of socially conscious game designers say.
The creators of free educational games such as Darfur is Dying and PeaceMaker met with humanitarian activists at The New School University in New York on Tuesday for the third annual Games for Change conference.
The idea is to use video games to educate youth about real-world issues - fighting poverty, surviving in war-torn Sudan and negotiating Middle East peace.
And while there is violence in the games, it is being perpetrated by real-life players such as warring countries, not by the person playing the game.
"It's the next generation of activism," General Manager of mtvU, a television network owned by cable channel MTV Stephen Friedman said.
The televison network is aimed at college students that created a grant program encouraging educational games.
"Given this generation lives online, it's heartening to see them using this incredibly powerful medium in a very potent way," Friedman said.
The idea appears to be gaining popularity.
Darfur is Dying, which allows players to avoid being killed in violence-plagued Sudan, was downloaded more than 7,50,000 times in the past two months.
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