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[Xbox-Scene]

MS: Xbox Live Users Ready For Socially Conscious Games Posted by XanTium | June 5 14:06 EST | News Category: Xbox360

From multiplayerblog.mtv.com: XNA isn't just for up-and-coming game developers hoping to make the next "Halo." Microsoft wants its free development toolkit to be used by people to create socially conscious games. I spoke with XNA General Manager Chris Satchell at Microsoft's Expo Night at the 2008 Games for Change festival. The event, held earlier this week at Parsons School of Design in New York, showcased the work of students who used XNA to create games about global warming, malaria prevention and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, among other social causes. "When look at Gen X and Y, that's a big age range playing games at the moment, but they're also very concerned about social issues," Satchell said, echoing his keynote about how XNA can help change the world of games. "I think if you speak about issues people are passionate about, and if you do it on a medium that they like, like gaming, then you've really got the ability to influence them going forward." Can social change games have as much impact as something like Al Gore's Oscar-winning, global warming documentary "An Inconvenient Truth"? "Absolutely," Satchell said. "As we get more proficient as creators telling these socially aware stories and game concepts, I really think there's no reason why people can't speak through a narrative just like another medium could." Full Story: multiplayerblog.mtv.com

[grim_d]

Games about global warming & malaria etc really don't interest me at all.

most XBLA titles don't interest me in the first place, nevermind a game where you have to shop around for the most eco-friendly car, or save your credits for solar panels, or the "just boil as much water as you need" challenge.

This post has been edited by grim_d: Jun 6 2008, 02:08 PM

[chronno]

The problems with games like this is the same as movies about the same topics.  Vary few people are well informed about these issues and quite often use "facts" that have never been proven or have been dis-proven but continue to spread thanks to self centered hippies.

[bbagnall]

Cripes, the last thing in the world we need is propaganda in our games. This just doesn't interest me.