CMU students develop Mideast conflict game
By Jennifer Bails, Tribune-Review
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Parents who worry that video games teach kids to resolve conflict through violence might find hope in a new Carnegie Mellon University project that uses computer entertainment to promote peace.

PeaceMaker isn't your average shoot-'em-up, kill-the-bad-guy game.

The computerized strategy game developed by graduate students at CMU's Entertainment Technology Center aims to simulate the Mideast conflict and calls upon players to negotiate peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.

	Peacemaker team members Eric Brown,   Asi Burak and Tim Sweeney (left to right).

"We looked at what is going on in the gaming industry and we weren't too happy about it," said Asi Burak, co-producer of Peacemaker. "Many video games are all about violence and shallow content. We wanted to make a serious game."

For their master's degree thesis, Burak and his six-member team of programmers, designers, writers and artists decided to use the uniquely immersing medium of video games to engage high school and college students in one of the most serious topics imaginable.

"The Mideast conflict is a clash between cultures and religions that many people in the world can relate to, even if they aren't stakeholders in this particular issue," said Burak, 34, an Israeli citizen whose family lives in Tel Aviv.

In PeaceMaker, players choose the role of either the Israeli prime minister or the leader of the Palestinian Authority. The goal is to establish a stable resolution to deadly, protracted conflict before the politicians' terms of office expire.

"Every action in PeaceMaker has consequences," said co-producer Eric Brown, of Point Breeze. "People don't treat it like an ordinary video game. They play really slowly, as if real lives depend on their decisions."

When the game begins, detailed maps of Israel and surrounding territories appear. Players instantly are confronted with real-life footage of chaos and suffering from the Mideast, rather than fantasy creatures or cartoon-like football players.

"This way, you don't get desensitized to the violence," said Brown, referring to a common criticism of many video games.

"Suicide bomber kills 18 and injures 100 in West Jerusalem," the game proclaims. Or, "Eight dead and over 40 wounded in Jenin after Israeli Defense Forces accident."

In response to rapidly unfolding events, players can opt to build roads, hospitals or fences; assassinate or talk with other leaders; negotiate with Americans or terrorists; give public addresses; leak information to the news media; or use any diplomatic or military tool that real leaders would have at their disposal.

Violent solutions were not excluded from PeaceMaker, Brown said.

The Israeli leader must balance the need for security and quality of life for the Palestinians. The head of the Palestinian Authority must obtain independent leadership and gain international support. The ultimate goal for both sides is lasting, meaningful peace.

Because of the sensitive nature of the subject, the CMU team sought input from both Israelis and Palestinians to make sure the game is fair and balanced. They also consulted historians and other experts to check the accuracy of the game's content.

When the students graduate in May, they hope to continue working on the PeaceMaker project, which could be made available on the Internet in spring.

Earlier this month, Burak and his colleagues presented a prototype at the Serious Games Summit in Washington, D.C., a two-day event that provided game-developer training and education specific to serious game creation. They also traveled recently to the Carnegie Mellon campus in Doha, Qatar, to test the game's usefulness in the classroom.

Educational video games like PeaceMaker could become the learning tool of the future for students more comfortable playing Mortal Kombat than reading the morning paper, Brown said.

"Young people today relate to video games," Burak said. "It is the main medium to communicate with them. So why not create an engaging game that will also teach them how to be warriors for peace?"

Jennifer Bails can be reached at jbails@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7991.