games

Fatworld is a Socially Aware and Awkward Video Game

- Adam Clare 7 Comments

fattyIan Bogost makes games, but not just any game – he makes games that try to raise awareness about how messed up North American society is. His next game is called Fatworld and Wired has the info on this impending game of fatness.

Remember you are what you eat, not what you play.

In his latest, Fatworld, players navigate a consumer paradise (A), rule their own empire of restaurants and convenience stores (B), and enjoy food allergies, diabetes, heart disease, and death (C).

You can play his early game Airport Security to get a taste of what kind of social commentary to expect.

Try Living Without Oil Before You Have To

- Fono

Peak oil is coming, probably soon than you think. We sort of all know this, but we never really talk about it. What are we going to do when it actually happens? Will we be caught totally unawares?

A new alternate reality game (read: online story-driven community-based game) aims to make people think about this unthinkable topic. World Without Oil is being funded by a number of media companies and being produced by a team of experienced game makers. Their goal? To simulate a global oil shock, applying “collective intelligence” to the problem in advance, and create a record that can help people anticipate the future. The means to accomplish all this is player-contributed blogs, videos, etc.

Tell us your story. Fuel prices are sky high and the ripple effects are pulling at the seams of our society. Everyone’s life has taken a hit – but how much of a hit are you taking? How much pain are you in? No one will know if you don’t add your voice to the collective shout. And who knows? If enough people speak up, maybe the force of collective truth will help prevent this crisis from ever happening again.

For more information, start at the official homepage.

BBC Climate Change Challenge

- Adam Clare

picturedThe BBC has a neat game where you get to be the president of Europe (!) and guide Europe to environmental success.

“A game where you are president of the European Nations. You must tackle climate change and stay popular enough with the voters to remain in office.”

It’s fun to play!

International Volleyball

- Adam Clare

from laweekly.com Along the increasingly militarized USA-Mexico border some people are having fun. They play an volleyball using the wall that defines the border as the net! It attracts spectators and a good time is had by all.

All this activity finally brings down the hammer of the border patrol, and a jeep shows up to separate us. The officer is friendly but firm. He’s just come on shift and has no idea we’ve been playing volleyball over the fence for the past hour.

“Really?”

He tells us that a daredevil launched himself across the border in a cannon a while back, but that ours was, in fact, the first-ever game of international border volleyball.

“And it worked over that tall fence?”

“Yup,” we say. “We’re up for one more round if you want to play.”

“No, man,” the officer says. “I’m on duty.”

Clean Water for Rural Africa? It’s Child’s Play!

- Benny Powers

Here’s some good news from South Africa! A Non-for-profit company called PlayPumps International has developed a children’s merry-go-round that also doubles as a water pump for villages in rural Africa.

As the children play on the merry-go-round, clean water is pumped into clean reservoir for use later by villagers. It’s a creative and fun way to help kids with very little to help themselves.

Right now, half the people in developing countries are suffering from water-related diseases. 1.7 million children under the age of five die from diarrhea each year.

For more information or to donate, see the PlayPumps website

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