Not Serious Games, but Seriously Games: Games as Social Critique

We talk about games as social critique quite a bit around here. We ask lots of questions.

– Do we learn from games? Yes, lots. Some of it is intentional and some is unintentional. Some is positive and some…not so much. Most obviously we learn about logic puzzles and we develop better spatial skills. Less obviously games teach us about the beliefs of the programmers and designers that make them.

– Are games value free and/or created in a vacuum? No and no. These are all things that we recognize and discus…a lot. I am a firm believer that games are in many ways cultural artifacts. A quick societal snapshot. Not necessarily a panoramic picture that covers everyone but definitely a reflection of a segment of society.

Because of this, we have decided to start a series of podcasts that we are calling the “Time Capsule” series. Our first time capsule episode will be recorded this week and since Halloween is coming we are going to start with…you guessed it…zombies!

We are excited and hope that you will enjoy it. Make sure you download it at the end of the week!