Could video games be the key to world peace?

Nanfoodle · February 2017

Im not sure this type of game would have a large impact as its not main stream enough. Just my two cents... yours?

Gruug · February 2017

These sorts of games could also be used to brainwash people. At least that is what should be said since the other types have been called out for the same thing. Seriously, people do not play games to learn how to behave, to vote or to live their lives. People play games to be entertained. Period.

Nanfoodle · February 2017

Gruug said:

These sorts of games could also be used to brainwash people. At least that is what should be said since the other types have been called out for the same thing. Seriously, people do not play games to learn how to behave, to vote or to live their lives. People play games to be entertained. Period.

That I dont agree with, any media or medium can teach. To say fun is exclusive to having our thought process challenged is a sad way of thinking IMO. Some of the best movies and shows do just that.

Sovrath · February 2017

Gruug said:

People play games to be entertained. Period.

That's actually not true. There are all sorts of games that teach. Heck, I learned typing from a video game.

There are certainly board games that teach morals.

I imagine a lot of them are aimed for younger people but there have been games that do these things aimed at older people.

The idea is to have a game that's "fun" while one is thinking about more loftier subjects or learning a lesson.

edit: I should add, as far as being "brainwashed' many things can be used to accomplish the same things such as books, movies, group camps, etc.

Flyte27 · February 2017

Sadly everything in a society is mental conditioning. Different ideas arise on what that conditioning should be. Most young people feel like they are some kind of special liberation, but they are just being fooled. Whether what they are doing is empathetic or not matters little. Right now you are considered sick and need help if you do not fit the empathetic, super nice, super social mold. Everyone who is anti-social, enjoys trickery, and enjoys violence fits this mold. It was the opposite when I was growing up in the 80s and 90s. You were supposed to be tuff and independent. I enjoy having things like violence and sex in games sometimes. Perhaps because I know these things would not be appropriate in real life, but are still fun in a fantasy environment. They trigger much stronger emotions than your typical empathetic emotions. Some might argue the strong nature of these emotions can be unhealthy to trigger repeatedly in a short time span. That may be true. I don't think I would be interested in playing games about learning to be empathetic, but I suppose the empathetic games would have succeeded then as I would have stopped playing video games.

Margrave · February 2017

I still say the secret to world peace is to be found in accepting bare breasts, and bacon.

With those combined no one could stay mad.

CrazKanuk · February 2017

Sovrath said:

Gruug said:

People play games to be entertained. Period.

That's actually not true. There are all sorts of games that teach. Heck, I learned typing from a video game.

There are certainly board games that teach morals.

I imagine a lot of them are aimed for younger people but there have been games that do these things aimed at older people.

The idea is to have a game that's "fun" while one is thinking about more loftier subjects or learning a lesson.

edit: I should add, as far as being "brainwashed' many things can be used to accomplish the same things such as books, movies, group camps, etc.

Yup! My kids now play games to learn math and reading. When I was growing up we had a game called "Cross Country Canada" which taught a lot of stuff as you drove truck across the country, including the dangers of picking up hitch hikers. It was so freakin' good I'd never go back and play it again today for fear of ruining the memories.

Nanfoodle · February 2017

I played a typing game that had aliens come across the top of the screen that were letters and numbers. You had to type the right keystroke to shoot the alien. Started with random characters but soon was sentences. Did a great job at teaching me.

postlarval · February 2017

The way gamers act I would say video games are the key to the exact opposite.

Quizzical · February 2017

Some things are easier to teach in games than others. Geography is perhaps one of the easiest: make the game map some real-life place.

For a game to outright advocate controversial views tends to be quite toxic to its commercial viability. You can depict controversial views by having in-game characters agree with each other without the game pushing the view that one of them is right and the other is wrong, but even that is delicate. Once you start taking sides, you don't convince anyone who didn't already agree with you to join your side. You only convince such people to quit your game, and perhaps write a negative review of it somewhere. And if a game is only advocating things that everyone already believes, what exactly are you accomplishing?

I watched about half of the video. The problem with what they're trying to do is, how do you make it not dreadfully boring? You could easily end up making the game both offensive and boring. If you make a game that no one plays, what have you accomplished?

Ridelynn · February 2017

This thread reminds me of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.

filmoret · February 2017

Definitely.

Tintagil · February 2017

Using video games or elements of gaming is definitely an interesting and developing field of research (See Gamification: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamification). A lot of the ideas have merit, such as motivational incentives (e.g., extrinsic rewards), connecting people socially (e.g., relatedness), increasing mastery (e.g., self-efficacy) which stem from well researched behavior change theories, such as Social Cognitive Theory (Albert Bandura), as well as Self-Determination Theory. Personally, I'm excited for this type of research because it might help people realize that video games not only don't rot your brain, they could possibly be used in to educate/inform as well as entertain.

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Could video games be the key to world peace?

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