Last month, in Part I of this post, I discussed the "Games for Change & Health Workshop: Brainstorming and Game Design Jam for HIV/AIDS" that Spectrum hosted during Digital Capital Week. In part one, I covered the discussion on HIV/AIDS that took place and how a video game could be created to educate others on the disease. In this post, I'll explore turning an idea for a game into reality.
After an in-depth discussion on the HIV/AIDS epidemic and a brief introduction of video game basics and strategy, Limor Schmafman, president of Keystone Tech and chief instigator of Games Gateway, led the group's brainstorming session. I was excited to turn our newfound knowledge into a game that could actually make a difference in the growing HIV epidemic. The group had a healthy debate on the focus of the game: Should the game focus on HIV in DC or on a more global level? Is the target audience those who are already infected or is it people who might be unaware of HIV's prevalence in the United States? Should the game be explicit or more abstract?
All of these questions made for a great discussion, but we couldn't forget the important gaming elements: the objective, the challenge, the constraints, the rewards and the experience. I had played video games as a child, but I never actually stopped to think about the extensive planning and strategy that goes into creating a game for the masses to enjoy - and in this case, for gamers to be educated on an important health issue at the same time.
The workshop participants included game designers and developers, animators, business thinkers, those with a strong interest in the concept of edu-gaming and those who had no idea how to make a successful game, like me! But despite my lack of knowledge, I nevertheless contributed to the group's engaging discussion. The motto that surrounded our brainstorming was "Treatment is prevention and knowledge is prevention." We wanted to create an interactive game that would not only educate gamers on how to treat HIV, but also prevent it. We desired to promote social change and understanding of a disease that oftentimes faces harsh stigma.
The discussion that started at this event has turned into a real push to have a game made to educate others about HIV/AIDS. Schmafman has organized a follow-up to this event, Games Gateway: HIV/AIDS Workshop #2, and I look forward to helping turn our ideas into an educational platform for gamers!
