Gaming for Good: TEDxAuckland presentation

InGame Director Stephen Knightly spoke at the TEDxAuckland 2010 conference about ‘games that do good.’

Here is a PDF copy of the presentation. (1.5 MB PDF)

Some of the key points of the talk are:

  • Violent games are only the visible tip of the iceberg. The vast majority of games are constructive and family-friendly.
  • Game players are incredible diverse, from 98-year olds in Dargaville to moms on Facebook.
  • The ‘Serious Games’ movement is all about creating fun games that also have a serious purpose beyond pure entertainment.
  • Many serious games have been clinically trialled and had positive results.
  • Games inherently teach us things – even if it is only ‘how to get to the next level’.
  • Games teach us about the world. They are often world-simulations.  Therefore they include worldviews and can teach values as well as content.