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Suzanne Seggerman blogs at The Huffington Post
Posted by Elena Haliczer on 11-28-08

Suzanne Seggerman made her first foray as a Huffington Post blogger recently, asking ”Does Obama Play Video Games?”. Noting that the idea that games can engage players with social issues is an idea building momentum, she cites some key evidence:

“ Food Force has been downloaded more than 4 million times. Darfur…

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Study on Youth Living and Learning with New Media and Implications for Social Change Makers

Posted by Hsing Wei on 11-20-08

The results of a three-year ethnographic study, the largest study ever conducted of participation in the new media ecology by U.S. youth, was released today.  Stemming from research beginning in 2005 and spanning 23 case studies by 28 researchers and collaborators, the white paper brings a youth-centered perspective into the debates about the merits, influence, and intersection of games (and…

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Nickelodeon Launches Green-Themed MPOG

Posted by Hsing Wei on 12-14-08

Will play online change actions offline?  With “The Big Green Help Global Challenge” Nickelodeon wanted to a design a game that activated kids to address environmental change in their everyday lives.  “With about three quarters of the U.S. kid population actively gaming online, we think our ‘Global Challenge’ game is a great way to connect them to the pro-social issues they care about, like the environment… we hope this game can be the beginning of a kid-led environmental movement."” said Marva Smalls, EVP of Public Affairs, Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group.

In the multi-player game, the mission is to "green" the planet's last three pollution-free cities.  Kids take on the identity… Continue reading the rest of this post.

 

Exploring the News through Games

Posted by Alex Quinn on 10-01-08

With the support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s Journalism Program, Games for Change has launched a new initiative to explore the use of digital games to better inform and engage the public in understanding the most important public issues of the day.  Games for Change is working with journalism and game experts to develop a series of activities that highlight the best work being done in this area. Upcoming events include a panel presentation at the annual Games for Change Festival and a showcase of newsgames at the Festival Expo Night.  Games for Change is also planning and an awards ceremony honoring innovation and quality in the field.

The Knight Foundation’s Journalism Program focuses on leading journalism excellence into the digital age. … Continue reading the rest of this post.