WaterCoolerGames
Latest
NY Times now publishing Persuasive's newsgames
The New York Times has begun publishing Persuasive's newsgames on the opinion page of their website. Currently, a title called Food Import Folly can be found under the Times Select heading.As Persuasive founder Ian Bogost note, this move by the New York Times is unprecedented. "I think it represents another important shift in videogames as a medium ... The fact that the Times is often considered the national newspaper of record makes this moment even more notable, and gratifying," he said.Indeed, exposure to serious games on the face of such a prestigious and prominent publication marks a bold step for games as an interactive medium. Can games be used as editorial much in the way political cartoons convey their message in a noninteractive manner? Bogost recently discussed such a topic at this year's Living Game Worlds conference.In Food Import Folly, players "protect the United States from contaminants found in foreign food imports." Previous newsgames by the developer had been published by Addicting Games and Shockwave under the series name The Arcade Wire.
Governmental ads: "give your thumbs a rest"
An ad campaign from the Centers for Disease Control is pulling no punches with their tagline "Give your thumbs a rest. Play for real." Supposedly encouraging active lifestyles rather than the way of the couch potato, the ad features an in-game style image of obese baseball players on an overgrown field.As Water Cooler Games points out, this seems to have been created with no thought for its target audience. In particular, the ad mocks rather than reaches out to gamers; not the best way to connect with a demographic. Also, as governmental propaganda goes, jumping on the anti-gaming bandwagon is a disturbing trend--a sideline political campaign is one thing, but a government-approved message seems overkill.With CDC themselves turning to games for educational purposes, we can't help but feel there's a mixed message here.
