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Virtual Peace Sim Game Based On America's Army

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the where-everyone-looks-like-a-victim dept.

fortapocalypse writes "Duke University in collaboration with Virtual Heroes (who created America's Army) has produced a game called Virtual Peace, the intention of which is to help the gamer develop disaster relief and conflict resolution skills. Virtual Peace also is the winner of the HASTAC/MacArthur Digital Media and Learning Competition, according to an article published by the university."

7 of 186 comments (clear)

  1. I don't know by oldspewey · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I just don't see a lot of mass appeal for a game that involves handing out disaster-relief supplies or carefully negotiating power-sharing deals in shaky democracies.

    --
    If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
    1. Re:I don't know by DeadDecoy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      That really depends on the game mechanics. If it's fun, then the core idea can be whatever it needs to be. If you think about it, games with initially odd concepts have performed well: Sim City (or any of the Sim Series), the Tycoon series, Pheonix Wright, Eco, Katamari Damacy, Sonic. Not every game needs to be pigeone-holed into RTS or FPS to be fun. It's just easier for publishers to make the safe bet.

    2. Re:I don't know by Belial6 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You haven't heard of the smash hit "The Sims"? It's been done, and people loved it.

    3. Re:I don't know by stuntpope · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I don't believe it's intended as video game entertainment. It's an educational simulation to train people who may need to devise disaster response policy. Players run through the simulation, make certain choices, and then they all engage in an after-action review session to check the appropriateness, or effectiveness, of their choices.

    4. Re:I don't know by jamboarder · · Score: 5, Insightful
      "But the ones you listed don't have an overt propaganda mission...

      ...make it an expansion module to America's Army..."

      I hope this took you at least several hours to write because it's difficult to imagine the two thoughts occurred within within seconds or minutes of each other...

  2. Re:Reality Check by tthomas48 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Um... Cuban Missile Crisis? Just first thing that popped into my head. There have been a couple times in the past when conflict resolution skills have come in handy.

  3. Video goodness by Triv · · Score: 5, Insightful

    There's a video up on the referenced website, and it's freakin' hilarious - there are 20-30 kids seated at computers and wearing headsets and playing around in a virtual world, completely ignoring the fact that, if they took the computers away, they'd be sitting in a room with 19-29 other students who could easily pose the same arguments and take on the same personalities IN PERSON. It's called Model UN, and it's been going on in high schools for at least a decade. The selling feature of this thing looks to be that it's happening in a virtual world that looks sorta like the conference rooms in the real world where decisions were made about Hurricane Mitch, and that you can make your avatars look like the real-life politicians involved.

    The internet is not and should never be a replacement for exercising an imagination. I can't help but shake the feeling that somebody needed to justify a shiny new computer lab and this is what they came up with.