Serious Games at MIT

In October 2006, a joint Singapore-MIT International Game Lab was announced (see MIT’s press release). This article from Wired magazine entitled “Today’s Homework: Make Good Games” provides a significant update on that effort.

Based on this update, the “serious games” movement seems to be making its way into the nonprofit and educational sectors. According to Wired, “The United Nations got the word out about its food-aid programs with a game called Food Force. Student-resistance leader Ivan Marovic is using games to teach strategies for nonviolent protests.” It’s easy to see how these applications of gaming might translate into higher education. It’s also clear that these serious games might be useful for fostering interdisciplinary collaborations. Wired also notes that “[MIT] is currently seeking students to enter the program [in Fall 2007] opening the program to candidates from such far-flung majors as journalism, museum studies and computer science.”