[P4K] Wall Street Journal profiles games as real-life documentaries
In a recent article "Iraq, the Videogame - War is hell. Should it be a game?", Wall Street Journal author Jamin Brophy-Warren writes on the upcoming game focusing on the Iraq War and the merits of serious games spotlighting real life events.
He also highlights other games, such as our own Ayiti, that effectively use serious subject matter and events as their base.
Videogames are not foreign to using real-life events as fodder. Many military games such as some of the popular Call of Duty and Medal of Honor series are based on past American campaigns during the various wars over the last century. The "serious games" movement, which often seeks to teach a particular message or idea, frequently draws on current events as well. MtvU, the college version of Viacom's MTV, launched a Web game called "Darfur is Dying" in 2006 to teach about the atrocities in the Sudan, and non-profit Global Kids and developer Gamelab created "Ayiti: The Cost of Life" that challenges players to keep a virtual family of five alive and healthy in Haiti.
You can read the full article here.
