Are video games based on social issues a good method to educate audiences on complicated issues?
Many of us find video games a stimulating diversion from the hum-drum, day-to-day experience; the thought of playing a game titled “UN Food-Aid worker 2” wouldn’t exactly rise excitement levels amongst gamers. Gaming in general tends to veer away from real-world issues, anything verging on a crisis in the video-game realm is loosely based on reality – where names and situations are inspired from rather than copied. Look at any top-selling game and it’s plain to see that game-players want escapist entertainment; switch on the TV if you want informative programming on social issues, they do matter to the majority of us and have their time and place. Gaming is usually pick-up-and-play by design: free of the rigid structure of daily life enabling millions of people to find enjoyment away from the pressures of life. Games centred around the problems of everyday experience would be a depressing thought; many titles offer freedom and abilities that otherwise would never be allowed or even pos
Books are much the same. Video games, too, can spirit one away to the very peaks and pinnacles of his or her imagination, imbuing experiences simply not conveyable through less creative means. And, as with books, video games simply are not inherently evil by their nature. Indeed, an occasional video game will even imitate its more pulpy predecessors, focusing more heavily on text and the magic of words to impart lessons and experiences.
