Five best serious games that want to change the world: one on the homeless, one about learning how to live on $1,000 a month, one on women's rights, one on ecology and one to protect against natural disasters. Interesting, isn't it?!
" Tout what's bad is good for vous " (Private 2009), ironically proclaimed Steven Johnson, in a book that defended not only the Internet and video games, but also television series . For him, the explosion of the media could well be the cause of this mysterious "Flynn effect" which sees a net increase in our IQ and our emotional quotient!
The fact remains that in our digital society coupled with a new neuronal plasticity, video games are "good" for our intelligence, for learning and even for rebuilding the world. So one Christmas month from now, I suggest some games that will change a little (These games have been selected by YOUPHIL).
Against all odds: Live my life as a refugee
"Those people you see every day, but you don't see them. What if it was you? ", says the slogan of Against All Odds. This game, one of the pioneers of its kind, was created in 2005 by the United Nations Refugee Agency. (UNHCR). From the age of 13 onwards, he immersed the player in the skin of a refugee who had to flee his country to start a new life. Answering tough police interrogations, choosing the right means of transport or trusting a smuggler: the player will have to make crucial decisions to reach his destination.
But it's not over yet. The character will have to go to school, ask for asylum, then find a job. The Internet user quickly becomes aware that between language barriers, cultural differences and the lack of a job, the character will have to go to school, apply for asylum and then find a job.t people's prejudicesintegration is not always easy.
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Ludwig: a Wall-E green version
Ludwig is a small robot that has stranded on planet earth deserted by humans after being drained of its resources. Through this character, the player travels through the world of physics and renewable energy. How do you intelligently use water, fire, wind or the sun to create energy and protect Ludwig? This is what players from the age of 11 will be able to discover through the missions of this game with elaborate graphics. Ludwig won the award for Best Serious Game 2012 at the e-virtuose awards.
Half the sky
Defending women's rights. You are Radhika an Indian woman who dreams of a better world. Her daughter is sick, but her husband won't sacrifice their money to cure her. Do you have to be quiet or not? This is the first step you will have to take in Half the sky, a Facebook game about the status of women around the world.
The player travels to different countries (India, Kenya, Vietnam, Afghanistan and then the United States) to complete missions drawn from real life and led by female characters. In addition to raising awareness, the game also allows players to make donations to one of the seven partner NGOs (Fistula Foundation, GEMS, Heifer International, ONE, Room to Read, United Nations Foundation and World Vision) at any time during the game. The Fistula Foundation and Room to Read have each collected 185,000 euros in donations since the launch of the platform in March 2013.
Stopping disasters: how to make places safe?
Can we save more lives when a natural disaster like the Typhoon Haiyan touches a country? Yes, assures the UN with its Stop Disasters game! Here the player is led to build a safer environment for the population by, for example, reinforcing houses or building hospitals in safe and protected places. Tsunami, forest fire, cyclone, earthquake or flood, players only have to choose their scenario and try to save as many lives as possible.
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Spent: Living on $1,000 a month
Try to live under the same conditions as a working poor in the United Stateswithout ending up on the street. With 1000 dollars in your pocket you will have to find a job (choose between low salary or hard work), a health insurance (or not), a house, manage creditors, children's activities... Result: difficult not to be indebted at the end of the month. Each decision taken is accompanied by a commentary on the consequences of our actions on our budget or our health.
Complement Proâme / Video game analysis
A study conducted at the Beth Israel Medical Center in New York showed that surgeons who play video games more than three hours a week are 27 % faster in the operating room, make 37 % fewer laparoscopic errors, and are able to suture 33 % faster than those who do not play (Verena Drobnik, "Surgeons may err less by playing.").
A recent Wall Street Journal article by Robert Lee Hotz, "When gaming is good for you," also tells us that action gamers would be able to make decisions 25 % faster than usual, and that they would be able to remember six things.
Some video games may also have the ability to prevent cognitive aging. This is the case with real-time strategy games, in which the player must simultaneously lead and prepare for battles, while ensuring the well-being of his people, their religious and spiritual needs, and the dynamism of their technological research.
According to a study of senior citizens at the University of Illinois, gambling Rise of Nations allowed subjects to increase their working memory and especially their ability to change tasks easily: so-called "executive control processes", such as planning or multitasking. These are all mental mechanisms that tend to deteriorate with age.
And I remind you on my blog cThis is an excellent TED conference by Peter Norvig who opens the way to another intelligence and new ways of learning, including learning to live!
Maryline Passini, Founder and Director of PromoteThe project is a joint project of the University of Geneva, a laboratory (transdisciplinary network) and an operational foresight agency.
