San Francisco, California is the site of the Game Developers Conference, an annual event that brings together video game professionals from around the world to discuss everything related to that pastime. Of particular note this year was a panel in the Serious Games Summit track led by Child Safety Research and Innovation Center president Allan McCullough. Entitled “Violence Prevention: Playing a Video Game Can Make a Difference“, McCullough explained how a pair of games — “Sydney Safe-Seeker and the Incredible Journey Home” and “Alex Wonder: Kids Cyberdetective” would help teach children how to identify dangerous situations in both real life and on the Internet, and give them tools to manage the threats.
You can read about the specifics of the games in the referring article, but what’s interesting here is the idea of actively programming against public perception of what a video game is and does, given the controversial past of the hobby. So often denigrated as a tool for teaching violence, McCullough came to the conclusion that games can actually empower youth to make valid, healthy choices instead, which is very much in-line with the concept behind the Serious Games initiative.
Most of all, I find it laudable that McCullough has spent so much time involved in this process, especially considering the barriers placed in his way right from the start. Rather than complain about and demonize games, he has recognized the potential inherent in the genre and actively worked to provide a pair of products that could benefit a great number of people, both children and adults alike. “I see games not as problem but a solution,” said McCullough, “the best solution for the dangers presented to young people today.”
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