Computer Graphics World

March 2009 44 step, expanding its involvement by releas- ing the tool kit as a way of helping other organizations wanting to become engaged with game development. Along with in- troductions, explanations, and examples of games, the kit features a compilation of presentations made during the Festival last June. It also contains advice from experts in the gaming industry. "It is not a technical guide that says, this is how you make a game," explains Peer- man. "Rather, it provides an overview of the game-making process, particularly if you are running a nonprofit or some type of after-school or summer program, or are an educator looking for a way to start a game initiative for your kids." As Peerman points out, most teachers or on-site staffers who are guiding teens in this endeavor do not necessarily have the required technical game-development skills. Nor do they know how to get such a pro- gram up and running. To this end, the kit lists questions the educators or administra- tors should ask, informs them as to what decisions need to be made, and then walks them through seven stages of effective game One organization reaping benefits from AMD Games for Change (G4C) partner grants is Global Kids in the New York City area. Global Kids embarked on this journey in steps through its Playing 4 Keeps program, which introduced teens to game design and how it could be applied to a serious is- sue. Next, a partnership was established with game-design company Gamelab, and a curriculum soon followed that combined serious issues with online game development. With students taking the lead, the group created a rough prototype game called The Profiler, a casual game about ra- cial profiling in airports. According to Barry Joseph, online leadership director, all the players claimed they had gained an increased understanding of global issues and game de- sign by working on the title. "It was clear to us right away," Joseph adds, "that game design could play a key role in de- veloping 21st century literacy skills." After further steps, Global Kids launched a scaled-up ver- sion of the program at South Shore High School in Brooklyn, funded through a multiyear grant from Microsoft's US Part- ners in Learning. During the first 10-month program, Playing 4 Keeps engaged 20 minority youth as they worked with pro- fessional game developers on the design, development, and dissemination of a professionally produced online game that could educate their peers on an important world issue. Over the course of the year, the students were involved in weekly intensive and interactive after-school workshops that were divided into four sections: recruitment and train- ing, learning about game design and global issues, build- ing the game, and launching the game. They also attended workshops on global issues, such as defining human rights, racism, health, and more. Then, students combined these lessons by developing a game called Ayiti: The Cost of Life (CostofLife.org), whereby a player assumes the role of a fam- ily living in rural Haiti as they battle poverty. In the years since, Global Kids leaders have developed Consent!, a virtual world simulation about medical racism in US prisons, and Hurricane Katrina: Tempest in Crescent City (TempestinCrescentCity.org), a Web-based side-scrolled title developed with Gamepill about local heroes. All games have been featured at the Games for Change Festival; in fact, Ayiti won G4C's first GaCha award for Best Aware- ness-Raising Game, and its development and subsequent impact are heavily covered in the G4C Toolkit. "Within the after-school programs, students are drawn to games as a way of learning about global issues and are in- trigued by the opportunity to develop a complex media proj- ect that has the potential to reach hundreds of thousands of people," says Joseph. "They are gaining tangible skills that are applicable to a range of career paths and developing sophisticated 21st century information and communication technology skills. These include managing complexity, solv- ing problems, and thinking critically; accessing and commu- nicating information; understanding and addressing global issues; and learning from and working collaboratively with individuals of diverse cultures, religions, and lifestyles." On a secondary level, says Joseph, is the educational im- pact the games have on those who play them. "Because of their appeal, games possess an enormous opportunity to educate youth about substantive issues and to build critical skills," Joseph points out. "Once engrossed, a young person playing a game about the HIV/AIDS epi- demic, for example, can learn about the global impact of the epidemic, be directed to resources about it, and learn what he or she can do to address the issue through civic engagement. In the process, the person can gain digital- literacy skills by using a Web-based game and by using the Internet to research a substantive issue. Within the game, situations and strategies may exist that build the 21st cen- tury skills of problem-solving and critical thinking, among others." –Karen Moltenbrey Making a Difference n n n n Education

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