In class, we are currently creating games based on Durham, and current local issues. We aren't very far in production yet, so I'm going to save talking more in depth about it for another post, but so far it is going well. Our game does not yet have a title, but it focuses on the issue of the Orange - Durham Light Rail, a proposed train system basically connected areas from Chapel Hill to Durham. Our game is going to be a rogue-like game where you have to build the track from one stop to another before running out of money, featuring Herman, a possessed ice cream cone, and Carl, a strange walnut character. I am the Production Manager and also work on narrative products as well as some of the 2D art.
However, what I want to talk about in this game is other Durham games, or even Durham content and Durham creators. This can be game companies of Durham or games that are set in Durham. I also want to look into games that are about current events. Both of these things are important as an aspiring game designer in Durham because it will let me learn more about the local game making community, which could be good for opportunities, as well as see what effect games can have on important issues. With just a quick google search for games set in Durham NC, very little relevant information comes up. Instead, gaming stores like Atomic Empire pop up, a list of books set in Durham (mostly history and basketball books), and even a kickstarter for a webseries set in Durham. It seems that there aren't any (easy to find) games set in Durham right now, which makes sense since we are just a random town. However, I still thought I would find something since the people of Durham seem pretty proud of "Bull City". Heck, I even have a Durham-themed comic book. The good news is, despite not making many games about Durham, there are many gaming companies with offices in Durham, many of which I got to see representatives from at ECGC last year. Insomniac Games is a pretty well known company around here, and they do a lot of work in VR games. Epic Games, who famously made Unreal Engine 4 also has an office here, and at ECGC I talked to many people who work there. They're also working towards more VR work and have made so many technological advances in the past few years to make VR better. And as I mentioned earlier, with places like Atomic Empire, it's obvious that there is a decent sized gaming culture here. More interesting to me are games that focus on current events or issues. I really am passionate about art as a form of activism, and such an immersive form of art and entertainment as a game seems like a great vessel for change. This article from NPR discusses the effectiveness of games in teaching messages. While the data is still coming in, I believe media of all forms does affect people greatly and I hope that I can create games that do affect people. I ended up playing one of the games mentioned in the article: The Cat in the Hijab. It lines up with my political views, so it didn't change my opinion or anything, but I appreciate the game. The message it tries to convey is about hate speech. I played through the game twice, trying to make the opposite choices each time, and I was a little dismayed to find that the choices made only really changed a few lines, so I felt as though it didn't teach anything about what outcomes different choices have. However, the best results did come from ignoring hate speech and sticking together with supportive people, so I do like the overall message it tried to get across. However, I think the people who need this message the most might not have played the game, possibly even just from looking at the title. So I think it's also important to remember that games don't have to be incredibly political to still make comments on important issues. As the NPR article above said, people like subtle messages better, and they're less likely to shut down moderate arguments than extreme ones. Games are a good starting point to get people thinking about issues, to make people more open minded and get the conversation going. Games like Skyrim have beggars and orphans, making players think about how to treat the poor, as well as big, open worlds with complex political climates, giving players a look into how different aspects of the world affect each other. Plague Inc. and Pandemic both teach valuable lessons about disease, the value of the CDC, and how the choices we make about travel and trade can affect health. These are examples of serious games that are still fun and subtle in their messages. Overall, I think games have a great potential for change, and I'm excited to be creating a game set in my hometown that could actually teach people about the light rail.
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AuthorHi, I'm Abi, a DSA student who likes games, drawing, writing, and acting. Archives
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