Packaging Man: Skip the Wrapper and the Game
August 21, 2008 - by Ian Bogost

Consider a new game Packaging Man, which its creators bill as follows: an environmentally themed video game ... to raise awareness about the destructive impact fast food paper packaging has on Southern forests. The game which is a new take on the classic video game, Pac-Man, follows the exploits of the hero Packaging Man as he works to save forest creatures by collecting excessive packaging and recycling it, all the while avoiding the "evil" fast food corporate executives. If you play the game, you'll see that it is a straightforward Pac-Man clone, with a few colors changed. An animated introduction ...

Pictures for Truth, an Amnesty International Game
June 9, 2008 - by Ian Bogost

Pictures for Truth is a game about human rights violations in China, and also the first game developed for Amnesty International, according to its developers. Created by a group of professional game developers and volunteers from Quebec in their off time, the game puts the player in the role of a journalist called to help a Chinese colleague detained by police. Somewhat like Global Conflicts, you must investigate via conversation and exploration to obtain enough information to write stories that publicize the problems at hand. like every game that takes the journalist's perspective, the player gets an outsider's sense of ...

I am a Gorilla
April 28, 2008 - by Ian Bogost

Clark Boyd interviewed me the other day for a piece on BBC's The World radio program which covered a mobile game supporting gorilla conservation. The game, called Silverback, is a cute, involved J2ME title in the platformer-adventure game genre. It turns out the game was actually created back in 2003 by Kiwanja, and this is a re-release for the benefit of Fauna & Flora International. You can download the game free over-the-air, although A £5 donation is requested. Unlike so many advocacy games, Silverback is actually pretty good! The player takes the role of a young gorilla facing challenges from ...

Dating Violence Game Contest
February 16, 2008 - by Ian Bogost

Brian Crecente reports that his brother has launched a flash game design contest for games on the topic of dating violence prevention. First prize is $1,000, and entires are due April 15, 2008. More information here. ...

ActionQuest ATL
June 27, 2007 - by Ian Bogost

My Georgia Tech colleague Celia Pearce and the Design Studio for Social Intervention are about to run ActionQuest ATL, a "Big Game for Social Change," which will run in conjunction with the United States Social Forum June 28 - July 1. You can sign up online or in person (Little Five Points Community Center, 1083 Austin Ave. N.E. 30307 or Renaissance Park, Piedmont & Pine). ...

Digital Intifada + Game as Critic as Art videos
March 13, 2006 - by Gonzalo Frasca

Vit Sisler from Charles University in Prague has posted two excellent articles about political games, mainly focusing on the work of Afkar Media (the second article is an interview to its executive producer, Radwan Kasmiya). I have some issues with them -that's not unexpected given the hot topic of Middle Eastern politics + political videogames. For example, it sort of gives a priori more legitimacy to the CMU project, which is still unavailable, because it is the work of "historians, political scientists and activists". Well, that doesn't necessarily will make the game any better and I think we should refrain ...

Molleindustria interviewed at Gamasutra
March 1, 2006 - by Gonzalo Frasca

Gamasutra interviews Paolo from Molleindustria about the McDonald's game and other relevant issues connected with political games. Btw, the McGame got its own website Mcvideogame.com In a clear example of tabloid tactics, the evil capitalist, CIA-funded Gamasutra media moguls try to generate frictions between the political games movements. In a moment of desperation, they ask Paolo: "Who's designed better persuasive/political games in your opinion, Gonzalo Frasca or Ian Bogost?" Bad timing, Gamasutra! Things were already tense between Ian and me after I accidentally tried to connect his hamster's brain to my Nintendo DS (let's say the DS still works). Of ...

Disaffected Update, T-shirts
February 7, 2006 - by Ian Bogost

I wanted to give our readers a few useful updates on the state of Disaffected!. First and most importantly, we've rev'd the game to v. 1.0.3 on both PC and Mac. The update fixes several bugs, changes some awkward joystick controls (not the intentionally awkward ones), and corrects a few smaller issues. Some Mac users may not have been able to play at all for various reasons, and this update should fix that. If you've already got D! on your machine, I strongly recommend reinstalling this new version. And if you haven't yet endured the trials of our simulated copy ...

Molleindustria's McDonald's Game
February 2, 2006 - by Ian Bogost

Just two weeks after we released Disaffected!, WCG amici italiani Molleindustria have released another specimen in the now-rapidly-growing anti-advergame subgenre, this one a scathing critique of the McDonald's corporation. Visit the "official" website to play. The game requires the player to learn and master all the complex techniques of a big international corporation like McDo. You'll bribe South American officials for the rights to clear rainforests for cattle and soy; you'll plump up cattle with additives; you'll coerce and influence government and scientific interests back home; and you'll manipulate your employees to achieve the highest profits. From the game: Making ...

Persuasive Games launches Disaffected!
January 17, 2006 - by Ian Bogost

I'm happy to announce that my studio Persuasive Games has released Disaffected!, a videogame parody of the Kinko's copy store. The game puts the player in the role employees forced to service customers under the particular incompetences common to a Kinko’s store. It gives the player the chance to step into the demotivated position of real FedEx Kinkos employees. Feel the indifference of these purple-shirted malcontents first-hand, and consider the possible reasons behind their malaise -- is it mere incompetence? Managerial affliction? Unseen but serious labor issues? Disaffected is the first in (what I hope will become) a series of ...

The French Democracy: The Movies' Machinima
November 25, 2005 - by Gonzalo Frasca

By way of Collision Detection, I learned this morning about The French Democracy, a machinima film created with The Movies. The film deals with the recent riots in Paris' suburbs and seems to have been created by a French player. While some details are questionable (cops don't ask for passports but for I.D.'s) the film is a quite powerful example of the potential of The Movies. When The Sims was launched, some players started creating social commentary photo albums in order to tell stories of abuse. Technically, the quality of these videos is impressive. I haven't yet played The Movies ...

Persuasive Games Announces the Release of the Mobile Game 'Airport Insecurity'
November 8, 2005 - by Ian Bogost

I'm very happy to announce that my studio Persuasive Games has just released Airport Insecurity, a mobile game about inconvenience and the tradeoffs between security and rights in American airports. The game is available for purchase for the low, low price of $3.99, and it's currently compatible with Nokia Series 60 handsets (that includes the popular 6600, 6620, 6630, 7610, and even the ill-fated N-Gage, among many others if I'm not mistaken). Those of you with Series 40 or non-Nokia handsets: encourage your friends to buy a copy so we can afford to port the game to your device. Or ...

Equipping Game Developers to Glorify God
June 21, 2005 - by Gonzalo Frasca

The 4th Christian Game Developers Conference is taking place on July 28-30th in Portland, Oregon. Along with Ian, we have promised ourselves to attend for a couple of years now, but we have always been too busy. I don't think I'll make it this year neither, but I don't lose hope. Portland is great when it's not raining. ...

Ressurection = Bonus Life?
May 1, 2005 - by Gonzalo Frasca

Going to the Christian Game Developers Conference has been a plan that Ian and myself have postponed a couple of times now. Every year, as July approaches, we feel the urge to witness this "alternative" GDC held in Portland, Oregon (a fantastic city in spite of the rain). Note to ourselves: CGDC will held form July 28th to the 30th this year (information to be posted soon on their website). The fact is that the New York Times publishes today "Playstations of the Cross", a very good article on Christian games. I found particularly interesting the quotes about the rhetorical ...

Global Solutions Summer Games
April 8, 2005 - by Ian Bogost

Citizens for Global Solutions, an activist outreach group and PAC that focuses on the broad area of global problems, has announced the Global Solutions Summer Games Contest. They are seeking entries of "simple games about international issues." The deadline is June 15, and up to eight jury selections will receive $300 and presumably be published on the Global Solutions website. I've previously expressed my worry about the conflation of grassroots participation and amateurism in political representation. Perhaps these folks seem to be targeting students and young people, which would make more sense. Weirdly, you have to register to get access ...

Hold the meat
March 24, 2005 - by Ian Bogost

Vancouver-based Veggie Games specializes in "games that promote kindness and compassion towards the animals that share our planet, and increase awareness about environmental issues." Their recent release Steer Madness allows the player to take the role of Bryce the Steer, who you can pilot to rescue animals, deliver soymilk, protest against fur, rescue chickens in an electric car, and take on other environmental and vegetarian challenges. The game recently took home an award for Innovation in Audio at the Independent Game Festival, and it was also runner-up for Best Animal-Friendly Videogame at the PETA Proggy Awards (Eidos Interactive's Whiplash took ...

Unicef Games for Kids
March 13, 2005 - by Ian Bogost

I just found out about Unicef Games, a small but growing game portal for the well-known advocacy and fundraising organization (thanks to Barry). It seems Unicef has created two games so far, World Heros and Halloween Coin Toss. Halloween Coin Toss is quite simple and really has nothing to do with advocacy at all. The player tries to toss coins into Unicef-marked boxes posted near local merchants. I suppose the game helps kids understand that such boxes exist so they can encourage their parents to give them a coin to drop in when they see one. World Heros is a ...

Destroy the Rainforest Game
February 3, 2005 - by Ian Bogost

Ok, it's really a game about preserving the rainforest, but it's pretty terrible. The Rainforest Foundation has commissioned Congo Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Bark. The game is a sidescrolling platformer. The player controls a monkey or a bear or something who has to avoid flying chainsaws. It's a great lesson in how not to make a game about activism; the core message is totally lost in distracting gameplay, rather than being the gameplay. Let me know if you get it to load... I did play it a few weeks back, it doesn't seem to be working right ...

Greenpeace Games
November 30, 2004 - by Gonzalo Frasca

We have previously discussed the Atari 2600 Greenpeace game, but thanks to Sofia, I think that we just hit the ecological gaming jackpot! Greenpeace actually host A DOZEN different videogames on their website. The themes and quality is varied, but there is enough material here to analyze for quite a long time. So far, the only game that doesn't seem to work in my browser is the Whale hunting game. But the rest are really interesting and worth a look. ...

Live from the Serious Games Summit DC
October 18, 2004 - by Ian Bogost

I am back from our London show opening (pictures soon) and here in DC for the Serious Games Summit. The conference has a very "official" feel, thanks to CMP, which is an important step. Oddly, no badge lanyards tho, only pins. Aren't lanyards the sign of officialness? Anyway, I'll do my best to cover the conference here, but it's multiple track and I'm doing a talk and a panel, so you'll get my view of the event rather than a general view. Update: coverage continues below as it happens, so to speak, from the back of the room. As usual, ...

Making and unmaking the world
September 18, 2004 - by Gonzalo Frasca

Who knows? Maybe we are not on the right lists. Maybe we were not paying attention. I guess we could even blame some computer glitch. But the fact is that sometimes we miss the opportunity and publish some links a bit late. Today, thankfully, it was just a day late. So you may be still able to check this University of Maine conference/exhibit on war games. Sept 17-24. What a day. ...

Playing with Mother Nature
July 9, 2004 - by Gonzalo Frasca

Not really sure what to make out of this, but maybe that's because of my own political beliefs on ecology (coming from a Third World country, sometimes I believe that most of ecology is a rich country sport, not when it comes to saving rivers from being polluted with lead and mercury, but more when it comes to the home-recycling paranoia). Anyway, enough of green rant, here's a CFP dealing with the roles of ecology in videogames. I mean, it's totally cool that people are interested in this and I will love to read the book when it's published. Games ...

Fahrenheit 9/11 - the videogame?
July 5, 2004 - by Gonzalo Frasca

Ok, the title probably caught your attention. Yup, it's a cheap tabloid trick, but it should remind you that you should never believe what you read, see or play, not even on this, your friendly site. Anyway, there is no Fahrenheit 9/11 game (at least yet, are you reading Michael? Give us a ring and we'll make a great game for ya :) but the fact is that Michael Moore made it to the cover or Time Magazine (you need to be registered to read it at Time.com, but you can read it at MichaelMoore.com for free). The best quote ...

Mayday Netparade
April 28, 2004 - by Ian Bogost

Care of Molleindustria, the Mayday Net Parade, "a virtual demo that runs thru a heavily guarded and branded city put under siege by insurgent legions of brain+chain+temp workers and assorted anarchists, commies, queers and greens." More net art than game, but definitely worth seeing. ...

Wired on Political Games
April 22, 2004 - by Ian Bogost

Wired News ran a nice article today on Playing Games with a Conscience, featuring quotes from myself, Gonzalo, and Noah Wardrip-Fruin, our friend from the field and Grand Text Auto. The article features Gonzalo's September 12 as well as Educational Simulations' Real Life 2004, which we discussed recently here on WCG among other games. Over at Ludology, Gonzalo lamented the fact that there's not time to make more games... this may be a good time to tease a new political game we'll be working on for the current US presidential election cycle, commissioned by a major US political group. Check ...

Become the Ultimate Poacher
February 21, 2004 - by Ian Bogost

Developer Exileworks announces Poacher, the wild game trader game. From the developer website: You fight and struggle your way through the African Congo to the deep jungles of India as you hunt for the most famous of endangered species; all the while avoiding and battling the dreaded Game Wardens.  Poacher is a free form game that allows the player to choose their hunting grounds, and to upgrade their character as time goes by. You control your destiny as you plot your way through some of the most dangerous places in the world. You must avoid capture and defeat the Game ...

"Save the Whales" for Atari 2600
January 22, 2004 - by Ian Bogost

Apparently someone made a game for Atari 2600 called Save the Whales, whose proceeds were supposed to benefit Greenpeace. The game was never released (follow the link above for screenshots). You control a submarine that must "Save the Whales" by shooting the harpoons or nets thrown by the ship at the top of the screen.  You can choose between harpoons or nets by changing the difficulty switch, harpoons are smaller and faster than the nets so they're harder to hit.  If a harpoon or net hits your sub you'll have some damage, if you take five hits it's game over ...

Tobacco Baron (Norwegian)
November 20, 2003 - by Ian Bogost

Jill Walker points out a rhetorical game that simulates a tobacco empire, Tobakkbaronen. The game seems elaborate and high in production value, but it's all in Norwegian, so I'll just quote from Jill's commentary on it: It's a strategy game, done in Flash, where you play a tobacco baron and win the game by choosing how to develop and market your cigarettes. Target children, poor people or stupid people? How much nicotine, how many other awful substances? What do you want your ads to look like? How many lobbyists will you buy to convince the WHO not to ban smoking? ...

September 12th reaches 100.000 players
October 26, 2003 - by Gonzalo Frasca

100 thousand persons have played Newsgaming.com's September 12th during the last few weeks. When I launched this journalistic/political game I knew I was taking quite a risk with its design/scope, but I am thrilled at seeing how well it is performing. So far, reviews have ranged from “an interesting experiment in political speech” (Henry Jenkins, MIT Technology Review) to “an inane piece of offensive crap” (Greg Kostikyan). This is my first post on the subject after the game launched; I have tried not to get into the discussion in order to not interfere with the game’s ideas. Nevertheless, I will ...