Game List:

Reflection:

The 7 games I played, were very different from each other. The narrative game style is like a story mode where decisions affect the story. Generally, the games help grow one’s knowledge on the topic, as the person mimics living firsthand through the relevant topic. The games varied in their content: Spent focused on the hardship of living paycheck to paycheck, by having the player make the financial decisions that affect their life. Street sweepers were somewhat similar, in that the game showcased the hardships of living as a street sweeper. Street sweepers live on far too little to even call it living. There is also the Syrian refugees game, which focuses on the journey of Syrians as they escape their country and become refugees. The main dilemma of this game is whether or not the person will survive their next decision, as their life is on the line. Another game I played was the COVID-19 simulator (September 7th, 2020). This game showcases the hardship of a learning environment, mainly a university, during COVID-19. The story is experienced through the eyes of a disabled person, thus suffering even further during those hard times. I also played the “Fake it to make it” game which talks about the threats of Fake News. Single Moms was another interesting game that discussed the hardships a single mother in Egypt faces when raising her kids. Lastly, I played Depression Quest which to me was the most impactful game I played.

 

In each game, I had varying results. In the Syrian refugee game, I managed to survive. However, in Spent, I ended up broke by day 4. These conclusions are usually preceded by difficult decisions.

 

In the Syrian refugee game, I was prompted to make many difficult choices such as which country I’d rather go to on my journey to escape. Every decision I made didn’t just affect my own life and the lives of many who depended on me, such as my wife and kids. There is also the threat of the unknown. For instance, I chose for the refugees to escape to Egypt, as I know from living here, that they are welcome and that the country is generally safe. However, in a real situation a refugee making such a critical decision doesn’t have such privileged information. I really enjoyed how this game showed me the struggle of refugees, and prompted me to think concerning the illegal immigration issue. I would have liked to see more knowledge and information towards the end of the game. For instance, do the same choices guarantee same results, or is the game slightly more realistic and rerunning the same choice can lead to different results. I was also left wondering as to what percentage manage to survive.

 

Spent, on the other hand, taught me to be more understanding of people’s hardships as there are many bills and dues that a person pays per month. It’s fascinating as it mimics the surprise element of being faced with a bill. I could resonate with this game to a certain degree as I know people that similar tough financial situation and fail to bills regularly. What I didn’t prefer in Spent, is how the game ends when one reaches zero dollars. In reality, life goes on even through debt. I lost on round 4, because I chose to uphold morals and not crash and dash my car into a stranger;s car.

 

The COVID19 game was interesting for me. It showed me how disabled individuals struggled during the corona virus. For instance, wheel chaired people were more prone to the virus as they’re  height is at just position to receive more coughs and sneezes. Although, I lived through COVID19, I had the luxury of having most if not all my class online. I think this story can afford more cohesion with more clarification on the reprecusions of the virus on everyone that had to endure face-to-face campus.

 

“Fake it to make it” was intriguing. The news process felt like a slot machine, roll the die with each article hoping to get the lucky break. At first, I was playing somewhat random. However, I quickly picked up the on system. My run was 5 months long reaching the goal of 400$. By the end of the run, I had one lucky article I wrote that suddenly boosted me to the set goal. I was creating and copying articles, almost exclusively out of fake information. I couldn’t bother vetting any information, and just cared to make money. The game is just missing a more impactful message that is clear.

 

The Street Seepers and the Single Moms are both student made. For the street sweepers, I enjoyed learning about the hardships of sweepers in Egypt and them having to live off of 800 egp per month. While for the Single Moms one I related to it, as my Grandmother and two of my aunts were single moms. Having to wait till the kids reach the age of 21 to unfreeze their inheritance, is a significant real life issue I know of. In my opinion, these games’ drawbacks is the lack of depth of analysis for these topics. I believe there is a lot more to learn about the topics.

 

Finally, the most impactful game for me was the Depression Quest. The game goes through the life of a depressed individual and all the stress, anxiety, and struggles they go through. Certain parts of the game were very relatble to my own life, and I can greatly understand the difficulty they went through. I really liked how some of the choices were intentionally crossed out to showcase that just because it is logically doesn’t mean that is an option that the person can do. In this game, I decided to choose not what I think I should do, but what I know would happen to me in the situation. I am aware that in many cases what is logical and should be done is often not done, and instead what is irrational and seems like a total waste of time might take place. For me personally, I always procastinate and say I’ll have a 5 min break before I start only to end up wasting the entire day. Overall, this game greatly captured the essence of the struggle especially by crossing out the most logical decision. It ended on a high note, where the person got a bit better. However, the game highlighted how depression is a back and forth struggle. There are times when the person is on top of their mental illness, and times when it gets the better of them.

 

Generaly, for most of the games I felt very limited. In many cases, one wishes to do something different, but the circumstances of the person rob of the more favorable options. Some games such as the Syrian refugees game feel risky and dangerous with every step. Every decision is an uncalculated risk on which many people’s lives, including the player’s, hinges. Some situations, like the “Fake it to make it”, brainwash the person to forget their morals and what’s important. In gamifying the process, the weight of a person’s actions seem minimal, when in fact people’s lives are greatly affected by the Fake News.

 

All games, with varying degrees of effectiveness, give the player the chance to briefly experience another life; one with radically different circumstances. These opportunities make people more understanding of each other.