Play Makers ‘Traditionally it’s been more of a conference,’ said Games for Change’s Asi Burak, ‘and we’re changing that all the time to make it more of a festival.’
answered the question “What race are you?” “It’s very inter- esting to see how people define themselves and how tough it is to guess [their race],” Burak said, “and those moments of surprise and frustration are very important.” That also goes for Games for Change itself, which has been
Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).” There were also hands-on workshops to show educators how to use game- design programs as part of school activities, an Awards Arcade where attendees could play the games nominated for Games for Change Awards, and keynote presentations by game designer Jane McGonigal, Atari founder Nolan Bush- nell, linguistics and games researcher James Paul Gee, and video-games industry executive Lucy Bradshaw. “Traditionally it’s been more of a conference, and we’re
changing that all the time to make it more of a festival,” Burak said. “We’re trying to bring more activities that are either open to the public or that are more about active participa- tion. If it’s a game conference, let’s play games.” That includes games such as Inside the Haiti Earthquake, which offers “a really, really serious take on what it means to be in that environment and actually uses real-world videos,” Burak said,
“and you make choices and [the plot] branches [out] based on your choices”; and Unmanned, which is “about a guy that wakes every morning and goes to fly drones and bomb people in the Middle East. Through the game you learn that the only point he sees real blood is when he shaves in the morning. … That’s a very political statement, and a very artistic game.” That’s par for the course with Games for Change, which
aims to “reach beyond the converted,” Burak said. “If you do it well, and if you’re not preachy and the game is still fun and entertaining, it would be a great way [for someone] to become aware or interested in an issue that he wouldn’t otherwise be interested in.” Recently Games for Change partnered with the American Museum of Natural History in New York City to present a series of interactive digital games at the museum’s Margaret Mead Film Festival — including The Cat and the Coup, which tells the story of the U.S.- and British-backed overthrow of democratically elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in 1953 from the point of view of Mosaddegh’s cat; Sweatshop, which Burak calls “a sharp and satiric look at the mechanics of sweat- shops”; and Guess My Race, an iPad game that shows players dozens of faces and asks them how they think each person
almost too successful in attracting people from outside the industry to the festival. Suddenly, game makers have begun to feel marginalized — something that crystallized in 2011 when Al Gore appeared as a keynote speaker. “The game makers in the audience raised questions — almost like, ‘Why is he here?’” Baruk said. “Obviously they understand what it means to the power of games, but it was also for them a big question of where games were going and what does it mean for them and the medium they love so much and how it’s going to change.” Burak and his team are figuring out how to bring the game
professionals back into the fold. “Part of the answer to that,” he said, “is to create a shared common experience, so [it’s] less about dividing the tracks and more about unifying the program, so everyone is together in the same room. There can’t be anything better than bonding people through play. It’s our message. If this is what we’re advocating for, that’s what our festival is for.”