by Kirk Bangstad
kirk.bangstad@animationschoolreview.com
Animation School Review Columnist

Activist games teach people about global issues while they play. Because they are often distributed free over the Web, they can become a great avenue for exposure of emerging video game design graduates.

The video game Darfur is Dying is undeniably cool. In the game, players assume the role of Sudanese refugees and try to stay alive by avoiding Janjaweed militias. The game is distributed free from a Web site and has attracted more than 700,000 unique visitors. Ramiro Cazaux and Corey Jackson were the two recent video game design graduates involved in this project, which has been written about in many major media publications. They undoubtedly were happy that they were able to contribute to such a worthy cause, but probably more important for their video game design careers, they’ve received some amazing exposure.

Video Game Design Exposure Could Help You Get a Job

Activist games are obviously never going to become major products in the gaming industry, but because they are distributed free of charge and hyped by mainstream media, they can get a lot of attention. If you have recently graduated and want to jumpstart your video game design career, you might want to latch on to an activist game project. If you’re hurting for next month’s rent, however, don’t spend all your time on an activist game project. Video game design graduates generally don’t make a lot of money from these ventures. Most activist games are sponsored through grants, meaning that there’s generally not a ton of money to go around.

If exposure is what you’re looking for to boost your video game design career, and you feel like contributing to society’s social conscience, then check out the activist game scene.

Source

Businessweek

About the Author

Kirk Bangstad is a singer living in Chicago. Having received his B.A. in Government at Harvard, Kirk previously worked as a management consultant.