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Evoke: World Bank and McGonigal Team Up
Posted by Hsing Wei on 02-14-10The conversation around the impact of games often focuses on how much transfer there is between a player’s game experience and his/her real life beliefs and behaviors. ARGs (alternative reality games) are often designed to jump that step and move players into real world action during game play. For 10 weeks starting March 3rd, Evoke will be open for free play. The world is introduced with graphic novel influenced illustrations and builds on top of social networks and other ordinary tools like blogs, wikis, and video sharing sites. Through ten quests players learn, act, and imagine social innovations to tackle the world’s toughest problems. The first episode is about a major famine in Tokyo. Players learn about food security and must do something to increase the food security of at least one person they know in real life. Meanwhile, real experts from the World Bank and other fields will watch, mentor, and give feedback.
The game will be open for anyone to play, but the target audience is young people in Africa. Avant Game is working with universities throughout Africa to get the game into classrooms. Ideally young students will work their way through the entire game and get to the point where they have a social enterprise ready to pitch. Players who successfully complete ten game challenges can claim recognition as a Certified World Bank Institute Social Innovator – Class of 2010. Top players will also earn online mentorships with experienced social innovators and business leaders from around the world. More commentary about Evoke in an interview with McGonigal on Worldchanging.
Watch the Evoke trailer here or register to play.
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