Tired of the same old story of Middle East conflict, world hunger, and regional unrest? Well maybe video games can help. New video games are being developed to model real world situations and help players better understand what it is like to be a decision maker in the face of intense regional and international pressure.
Real World Viral Video Games
Can video games encourage activism and promote education on real world issues? This post looks at 12 video game simulations that you should know about.
- Peacemaker
- Global Conflicts: Palestine
- Free Rice
- Food Force
- Darfur is Dying
Along with: Balance of Power, Hidden Agenda, Stop Disasters, What Would You Do, A Force More Powerful, and Al-Quraish.
Recommended reading: familiarity with the United Nation’s 8 Millennial Goals will help you to better understand this entry.
Peacemaker (2006)
I have been wondering about the power of smart video games as an educational tool since I first heard about Peacemaker. Peacemaker was released last year to loud acclaim for its originality and willingness to cross taboos of politics, race, and war in the Middle East in a thoughtful and instructive manner.
In Peacemaker, the player chooses to take on the persona of the Israeli or Palestinian leader and is required to react to real life crises with realistic feedback from the populace. Bombings, refugee camps, home invasions, and politics are central features of the game.
The Peres Center for Peace announced this week that it will be distributing 100,000 copies of Peacemaker to help Israelis and Palestinians experience the role of the Other in Middle East decision making– just in time for the Annapolis Peace Summit.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will also receive copies of the game upon their return.
Can video games manifest peace in the Middle East? It’s worth a try. We certainly have nothing to lose.
Download a demo on Peacemaker’s website to learn more. Better yet, buy a copy ($20) and let me know what you think.
Global Conflicts: Palestine (2006)
In the same category as Peacemaker comes Global Conflicts: Palestine where the player is an embedded journalist in the Middle East, giving a first hand view of the conflict zone.
Palestine is also craftily designed to be serial ready: the designers can transfer the central journalist character to a new region or conflict for further play and education.
Download a demo on Palestine’s website or buy a copy for 20 Euro (approximately $30).
Free Rice (2007)
Free Rice holds a special place on this list since it is not quite a video game, but does act as an interactive online tool to help players better understand world hunger.
Since its October 2007 launch, Free Rice has raised funding for 1 billion grains of rice: enough to provide 150,000 meals to hungry people.
But what is it? Free Rice is a simple vocabulary game run by the United Nations World Food Program and sponsored by advertisers whereby a player matches words with definitions. Each correct response earns 20 grains of rice. There is no log in or sign up. Anyone can click on the website, start playing, and add their rice grains to the tally.
With the aid of Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and other social networking sites, Free Rice has gone viral. This type of simple social innovation would never have been possible in any other age. Free Rice is living proof of the possibilities of social networking and entrepreneurship.
Recommendation–
Given Free Rice’s exponential success, I recommend that the program developers add a donation button to the site allowing users to contribute by PayPal or credit card. To do so would advance the United Nation’s millennium goal of eliminating world hunger and create buy-in among users around the globe.
Play Free Rice on its website.
Posted by Maya Norton 
The New Jew 