By Jessica Conditt / Source: Engadget

Games for Change president Asi Burak has noticed an odd trend in the gaming industry. Gaming is growing rapidly as a form of entertainment and it’s entering a space of serious artistic critique, where people from other fields of entertainment recognize its potential to influence real-world events. Here’s the odd part: Opposition to sophisticated critique of video games tends to come from within the gaming industry itself, Burak says. He runs through a few potential reasons for this phenomenon: It’s the nature of gaming to be edgy and anti-establishment. It’s a young industry. It saw rapid commercial success and now doesn’t want to derail its prosperous ways. It’s historically an underground kind of field, not used to a spotlight that could reveal flaws alongside beauty.

“For all those reasons, social responsibility and real-world issues are not the core of the gaming industry,” Burak says. “And I think it’s interesting because when you look at other media, it’s always the case [that they’re socially aware].”

When Burak speaks with people in film, technology, social change or other fields, he says they immediately understand gaming’s rise and its potential to influence society. Other industries, such as film, have already embraced the idea of social responsibility, laying the groundwork for video games to do the same.

“You have a movie like Schindler’s List, or you have a movie like… American Sniper or Argo, and everybody gets it.” he says. “Why not? Why not deal with politics and real-world issues but still be very successful financially and critically acclaimed, right?”

Burak isn’t alone in this observation. He recalls a recent tweet from NYU Game Center professor and game designer Eric Zimmerman, who notes that in other established design industries, “elite practitioners aspire to have their work do social good. Why in games is it so often shunned?”

Games for Change wants to address these questions head-on. It’s a festival celebrating video games that shine a light on social issues or play with real-world scenarios, and it’s part of the Tribeca Film Festival (going on right now in New York). The 12th annual Games for Change festival allows people to play a selection of curated titles and it offers awards in three categories: Best Gameplay, Most Innovative and Most Significant Impact. Games up for awards this year include Never Alone, Bounden, This War of Mine, Mindlight and That’s Your Right.

The festival itself is a testament to the gaming industry’s evolution as a social platform. Burak has been with the organization for five years, though Games for Change started back in 2004. Then, it was a half-day festival with just 40 attendees. Now, it’s a three-day event that attracts more than 900 visitors. Plus, as part of the Tribeca Family Festival Street Fair on Saturday, April 25, Games for Change’s public arcade will have access to 300,000 people, Burak says.

Read more @ Engadget