Games for Change

I chose the game Wonder City, an episodic game that is based in a high school premise. It follows the story of a high school girl, who has the ability of Quarta, that is, granting other people superpowers. Although it is meant mainly for teens of ages 8-13, my personal opinion is that one should either never have too much power, or learn to control it: this is why I chose to play it CITATION Won13 l 1033 (Wonder City, 2013 ).
The game itself is elaborate, moving forward episodically, and requiring the protagonist to make decisions on every step of the way. These decisions may have future consequences, or sometimes, may topple the whole hierarchy of the social construct of her world. The aim of the game is to develop a child’s critical thinking skills: if one has the power over others, what does one do? Does one use it for evil, or to inspire fear? Does one use it to ameliorate the society and situations around them? These were the immediate thoughts that I left the game with: if you have immense power, you must learn to control it wisely. The strings of society are bound intricately to include everyone, and one must be aware of how one fits in.

In my opinion, gaming for a social cause is a good method of positive reinforcement. What children usually associate with fast chasing cars and violent missions can actually be used to educate them to drive safely and decide who the real enemy is. The only hurdle in the path of social gaming may be the children themselves, who resist the imposition of something they are used to.

The resistance might also be the imposition of learning through a medium generally reserved for entertainment. There are two ways one can overcome this: one can either modify the games children are already used to, or analyze their effect on the class and community as a whole.

References
BIBLIOGRAPHY Wonder City . (2013, May 1). Retrieved from Games for Change: http://www.gamesforchange.org/play/wonder-city/