Homework to prepare for class on Tuesday of week 2
Note: posts to the class blog need to be made by 8pm on Monday.
1) Background Reading
Read Chapter 30 ("Games Transform Their Players") from Jesse Schell's book. It gives an overview of the questions that we are going to discuss in Tuesday's class.
2) Watch, read and discuss
Watch the talk Gaming can make a better world by Jane McGonigal.
Read this blog post including the discussion unfolding in the comments to the post.
Use our class blog to respond to and discuss the following questions: Do you believe that games can have an impact on the world? Have you played a game that changed you?
Answer these questions by engaging directly with issues brought up in Jane McGonigal's talk, the blog reactions to this talk, and by giving explicit examples from your game play experience. Also, be sure to engage with the comments of your classmates.
3) Play, think and respond
Play three games from the Games for Change website. Do they change the way you think about a topic or your opinion about a topic? Do they change the way you will behave in the future in certain situations? How do they do that? Think about aesthetics, mechanics, technology and story.
Post your answers on the class blog.