This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Northeastern chapter.
We tend to think of playing games as a source of entertainment, and even a waste of time, but Northeastern University’s Games for Change course, GAME/COMM2555, will show you just how playing games can have the potential to change the world.
1. Games can channel human power and utilize it for research like on the website Zooniverse. Zooniverse has a variety of games that allow you to participate in scientific research in a way that is fun and interactive.
2. Games can be used to help people overcome illness or personal obstacles in their lies, like the game SuperBetter, which helps you do little things every day to keep you motivated and optimistic.
3. Games can be used to raise awareness about a social issue, like the game Tampon Run. Tampon Run is used to remove the taboo from tampons, and was created by Andrea Gonzales and Sophie Houser, two female high school students.
4. Games can teach you a skill, like the game Bounden. This game teaches you and a partner to dance by having you twist a device around to allow a virtual sphere to follow a path of rings. The dances were choreographed by the Dutch National Ballet.
5. Games can raise awareness about a culture, like the game Never Alone. The creators worked with Alaskan Native storytellers to stay true to their experiences and stories and accurately represent their world.
6. Games can focus on empowerment. The Half the Sky Movement developed a game targeted at raising awareness of women’s empowerment issues around the world.
7. Games can focus on your health and well-being. The Skip a Beat Heart Rate Game challenges you to use your heart rate as a controller, teaching you to monitor your heartbeat through thoughts, emotions, and deep-breathing.
8. Games can keep you up to date on world news. Endgame: Syria attempts to teach you about the Syrian civil war and to inform you about the big picture.
9. Games can help you stay in shape. Zombie Run plays sound effects and gives you missions while you run to keep you motivated to outrun zombies.
10. Games can inform you about the environment. Garbage Dreams puts you in the perspective of the Zaballeen people in Egypt, who recycle 80% of the garbage they collect.