After playing the 2 games (Spent and Syrian refugee) in class and having a discussion about them and then continuing to play 4 other games ( Orphans by heart, Street-sweepers, Liyla and Project Honduras), I felt that there are some variables that resonate with me in terms of how much I enjoyed and benefited from the game. These variables are mainly the end goal of the game and engagement level. I found that the clearer the end goal of the game is the more I fell engaged and submerged in the game and this affect how I resonate with the topic and how much do I understand the situation or emphasize with it. To elaborate more, I will discuss these variables in each game to help my reach a reflection at the end of how can a game engage the audience.
1st: Spent ( Game about emphasizing with poverty)
I found that playing a winning or losing game was really beneficial in making me more interested in the situation and actually pause before I answer the questions. The game was mainly directed towards saving the money and it was really engaging to the point in which at the end of the game I was worried about the few dollars and huge loans I have ; even though, I won the game. However, when we discussed the game in class, someone mentioned that it would be more realistic if there was a stress meter or indication of the character’s mental health. I think this really would have put few more dimensions in the game and helps us empathize more as our mental health completely affect our productivity.
2nd: Syrian Refugee ( a Syrian refugee trying to escape)
The game was different in terms of its sense of adventure and the way it is illustrated. I find that how it is displayed really made me more directed towards taking the risks and exploring. It was also giving a lot of space for imagination as it is narrated like a story. However, I found later on after playing the game Liyla ( that I will discuss below), that perhaps this sense of adventure was not the most realistic as the goal was more about emphasizing with the decisions that refugee have to make in order to survive.
3rd: Lilya ( about the survival of the Palestinian people)
The idea of involving a game play was really good and really supports the goal of survival. The game was displayed in a way that reflects the reality in terms of colors, character design and events. this games was one of the best games for me in terms of empathizing with the characters as it felt like a journey of survival. Also the addition of details like having a slow pace game to reflected the slowly painful reality, the reflection at the end with informative data on the situation really made it feel real. There was also this part where the child asked her father to play with other kids and then this later on led to her death. I think this part was really successful as it showed how hard simple decisions could be for them.
4th :Orphans by heart ( about daily life of orphans)
This game is the part where I felt the importance of having an end goal as there was not something to reach at the end so it was more of an informative game. I find the informative part was successful when it keeps comparing between your life and the character’s life like when the game started comparing different aspects from my life like career, school and feeling I go through to the orphans. However, the game was missing the engagement element as the answers I give did not really change the response which unconsciously makes me less thoughtful about my answers.
5th: Street Sweeper ( about emphasizing with street sweepers)
I found it really engaging when the games gives you background about the character like this game because it makes you more aware of the responsibilities of the character. I think this game also challenged my understanding of how to empathize with a character. This is because some decisions I feel like I can never guess what I would do if I were in their shoes so I felt that empathizing with them does not necessary means that I can fully understand them or feel exactly what they feel but it is more about understanding that they are trying to do their best in the situation they face because at the end of the day no one really knows the right way of doing things.
6th: Project Honduras ( about climate change)
This game made me question how to make sure that your end goal is connected through the game as I felt that even thought it was informative of what the climate change can cause, it felt more directed towards how to mange natural disaster and how to prioritize decisions. This made me forget climate change when playing the game and then remembering it only at the end.
To conclude, I found that the game that I enjoyed the most was Liyla as it combine between the fun of playing a game and reflecting the true situation. After playing these set of games, I felt that there are a lot of ways of obtaining that either through graphics, display or the narrative of the story. Another thing that I find really challenging is how to make the audience connect and relate to the character and I think this is achieved by including human values and feelings.
References:
Liyla, http://www.liyla.org/.
Moussa, Pansee. Orphan By Heart, docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd2GxAw6iPKAjaqVt8UhjNiSEaAY-ZN40MuoDZHr8KK7l7mYA/viewform.
Project Honduras, www.trocaire.org/education/project-honduras.
Spent . playspent.org/.
Street-Sweeper, docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScDnVBWYxmSI_xiYIqdEJcLIWupYrTh3MZW2nrOUP9gRZUCPA/formResponse.
“Syrian Journey: Choose Your Own Escape Route.” BBC News , 1 Apr. 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32057601.
