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AnneI'm sad to report that your response is filled with exactly the kind of apologist doublespeak that typifies the arguments used by industry figureheads, PR agencies, and fox news:Self-Contradiction - "none of us have really seen it" vs "this is a game that teaches and gives opportunities"Rewriting Others - "Several people make the assumption that.. [no one in this discussion said or eluded to]"Irrelevant Appeal to Emotion - "blatantly untrue and unfair to the rest of us"Make it Personal - "your personal disagreement" "whatever you think" "because you have a personal dislike" "because you don't like it"Incite Powerlessness - "whether you like or not, nuclear power is here"Obfuscate Evidence - "not an issue that has been settled" "a not-very-well-understood field"Act like you're protecting people - "trying to prevent kids from learning" "is a very dangerous way to think"Kiersten's game is in fact the reason for this thread. The dangers of the nuclear industry are understood perfectly well, backed up by decades of research data. And yes, employment within nuclear industry does pay well. The same is true with petroleum. There is also a great range of job opportunities in militaries and mercenary armies around the world. The sale of drugs and weaponry is exceptionally lucrative and a vast and growing part of the global economy. Escort services are always recruiting and tobacco is booming in other countries. All of these and more employment opportunities are just as "here" as the nuclear industry. Exploitation and inflicting harm are generally more lucrative activities. But I'm betting a lot of parents are not so excited about guiding their kids into those types of jobs, especially if beneficial professions are available.Just because there is a lot of money in an industry doesn't mean we should condone it, encourage it, or spend any effort trying to help it. Just because an industry has been successful in its news propaganda doesn't mean that what they say is either true or complete. To deal with something that has gained leverage of you doesn't only mean to give up, roll over, and beg from it.It is an increasingly difficult choice to make in a society of capitalism because it places our livelihood at stake: what to study, what jobs to take, and what jobs to turn down.. but from what I've observed of the members of this list, it's a choice that most of you have already made. You've already taken your leave of the combat shooters and ifart games that dominate the game industry, yes?What should we be encouraging our next generations to "explore" and "learn about"? This is question becomes more important to ask when considering materials paid for and/or produced by the industries in question.Solar/wind/tidal/geothermal power is also "here" and from what I can tell, aligns without conflict with the Games for Change mission. The nuclear industry has bought PLENTY of other venues to promote their agenda.
Anna was spot-on in her reply. Reasonable people can have disagreements about what the best course of change should be on some issues. Those cases don't seem to call for active confrontation on a general-use group like this. You can voice your dissent on those topics in many forums around the world wide web and beyond, and probably with better effect.
Obviously a group asking about how best to market a game promoting slavery would invite some deserved attention. So far I have yet to see anyone posting requests for info on anything remotely close to that level yet. In those cases, where most sane people would reel in disgust, I would guess a place called "games for change" with its implied social do-good aura, would be the last place they'd venture, unless they were just trolling. If and when a KKK group comes in asking for the best way to market a race-war game, feel free then to take the gloves off. Until then, i'd feel better if we just moved on and gave people the benefit of the doubt and took ideological battles elsewhere.
I mean what is there to be gained by starting a political discussion in this case? Is the OP suddenly going to have a sea-change and quit his job because of a post on a google group? I doubt it. Far more likely he gets a bad first impression and tells everyone that this forum is apparently only for the ideologically pure. Discussion ends. Everyone loses.
I've seen THAT happen far more regularly than being coopted for "dubious" purposes.
To attempt to answer your question (pointed looks at some other list
members), I think the answer depends on exactly who you're trying to reach.
I've taken a look at your site, and I'm guessing that your core audience
is late elementary kids in the US? Is it important to you to reach
similar children in other nations? If not, then I would suggest that
your first approach should definitely be through the school system
itself. This not only gives the messages in your game extra credibility,
it also allows you to leverage the existing educational relationship by
providing teachers with additional materials and support to expand
learning beyond the game. We are taking this approach with a child
safety game we are presently developing. Unfortunately, as an
Australian, I can't provide you with any specific advice on working with
the US education system. If you haven't worked with the school system
before, a good starting point is probably to talk to someone on the
ground, rather than diving headfirst into the bureaucracy - approach a
teacher and ask them what sort of barriers they would face if they
wanted to use your game in the classroom.
I'm really sorry you copped some flak for your question. Personally, I
am strongly against nuclear power, for a range of reasons I won't go
into here, since this is not an appropriate forum for such discussion.
However, I have always appreciated this list's pragmatic approach to
exploring and sharing the techniques and practices of implementing
social change through games, regardless of personal ideology. Different
people have different beliefs about what is good for society, and I
trust every member of this list to strive to move our society in the
direction they believe is best. I am presently in the early stages of
developing a game which explores a renewable energy future. May the best
man win :)
Ben Rolfe,
Engage Research Lab,
University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia.
-- Patrick Prax PhD student, Department of Informatics and Media, Uppsala University Patric...@im.uu.se Office phone: +46184711135 Mobile: +46760427398
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