Play it forward
Young people are already using gaming technology, so why not use it too? Online games are a great way to get your name out there, encourage positive behaviour and help young people’s skill development.
Submitted
12/2/2009
By
actnow
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Updated
12/2/2009
Photographer : sparktography @ Flickr
According to the Pew Internet project’s ‘Generations Online in 2009’ report, gaming is where young people are hanging out. More teens are hitting up online games than social networking sites, with a whopping 78% of internet users aged between 12 – 17 years choosing to spend their online time in the realm of internet gaming. However, the potential to harness online gaming for the greater good remains massively underutilised.
Gaming for good
We’re not talking solitaire. The new wave of online games is about engaging a wider audience who your organisation otherwise may have missed. They target young people in their element, communicating with them through a medium they interact with well and in a language they understand.
Successful online games focus on interactivity and linking users back to a wider online community. They provide a space where young people can take action on issues they care about, access tools and gain skills they can use in the real world. They can even be an avenue for getting some dollars donated to your cause.
Memorable messages
As always, you want your campaign message to equip gamers with the knowledge and skills they need to take action on your cause. To do this in a gaming environment the campaign message needs to be forefront and central: the mission of the game becomes the message! The ideal game guides players through a series of tasks that demonstrate your organisations key messages in a fun and interesting way.
One example of this is Greenpeace International, who have made a real effort to turn their key campaign messages into game plans. When rescuing endangered species or creating nuclear free zones is the aim of the game, it’s pretty safe to say people know what you’re trying to get across. Médecins Sans Frontières refugee camp and the Darfur is dying games work on a similar principle, where the game isn’t necessarily particularly creative or different, but sends a clear message.
Test drives
Games don’t have to just advocate your cause. They can also provide an avenue for young people to learn new life skills and can reinforce positive behaviours. The recently launched Smart Online, Safe Online campaign tackles cyber bullying in its own environment. The online game component of the campaign, 'web warriors,’ aims to reinforce positive messages and behaviours in real life, by rewarding positive actions in the virtual world. Reach Out Central (ROC) is also a skill, rather than message, based game. Both games give young people the opportunity to ‘test drive’ how situations and decisions might play out in the real world, helping users develop and improve important life skills.
It’s possible to send a clear message a little less seriously. The key message is about what might occur in a certain situation and the consequences of particular decisions. Take the 'ACONdom gayme' as a stellar example. This game uses a fun and humourous game to inform same sex attracted young men about the benefits of positive sexual health.
Money makers
Everyone loves a new way to bring in more funds. Online games can be used to encourage people to donate the same way a website does. Or they can be structured to raise revenue in other ways too.
Website advertising has proved an effective way of fundraising for the UN World Food Programme (WFP). More addictive than minesweeper, the UN’s 'Free Rice’ game helps your brain, helps end poverty, and doesn’t cost the user a cent. The longer players keep up at the simple maths, english and geography questions, the more funds contributed by the website’s advertisers. This well integrated website allows you to track your free rice giving on the side bar, send the game on, or find out more about the WFP.
Room for improvement
If you’ve been clicking away on the hyperlinks, you may have noticed that most online games are treated as a bonus segment on the organisations website. They’re not the main focus of the campaign or one of the key tools for spreading the word. Generally however, online games are marketed as an extra, rather than a powerful tool in their own right. Keeping activist games in the corner means they won’t get the traffic they deserve, or the results. If you’ve got a game already running, why not make it more of a centrepiece?
Although people may not remember the finer details of your campaign, they’ll probably remember your game or they’ll gain skills and knowledge by playing. Recalling the game means recalling what it was about (that’s your message). And if the game is catchy, they’ll even help spread the word by passing it on to their friends (remember to link your game back to your website!).
Still, the idea of the campaign game is in its relative infancy. It seems to still be finding its feet, and clearly it is not an accessible tool for everyone. If you do want to get started, Games for Change have developed a tool kit to help not for profits get the ball rolling. Otherwise, check out their ‘game channels’ for ready-made games that might match your cause, and help spread the word!
