ETC at Games for Change

ETC student Lisa Elkin sent this article on team URSA’s experience at Games for Change, thanks Lisa!

Games for Change challenged team Ursa from the ETC to create a large outdoor game to be played in Washington Square Park as part of the Games for Change Festival in April 2014. The team decided to tackle this challenge by creating a mobile web game that raises awareness of three underlying issues of world hunger:

• Enough food in the world exists to feed everyone but poor distribution is causing millions to go hungry.

• Many governments in developing countries inhibit significant improvement of the distribution of food around the world.

• One of the biggest hunger-causing problems is human conflict.

In addition to raising awareness of these issues, the team hoped that players would gain a new perspective by playing Feed. Ideally, this new perspective would result in a change in attitude or behavior toward sharing food resources and that players would be inspired to take action in finding solutions to the problems presented in the game.

Feed uses GPS tracking to connect the physical gameplay to the virtual interface. In Feed, players work together to solve world hunger by transporting virtual resources from prosperous areas to areas in need while overcoming obstacles caused by political turmoil and conflict between regions. Feed ends by presenting the real world facts about world hunger and encouraging players to take action.

 

Feed was well-received at Games for Change with players having nothing but positive feedback. Players wanted to discuss the game with the developers and with each other afterwards and expressed their interest to get involved with related organizations. ­

Reporters and large aid organizations have shown interest in Feed and we are looking forward to its growth in the future.

For more information go to the team URSA’s website

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