Hello everyone, I recently played some interesting games, and I would like to share my reflections on them with you!

*Click the name of each game in order to play it*

Game 1: Spent

This game is about empathizing with poverty; you make choices, and life hits you back. The game is basically a simulation of how it is to live on a low income. It puts the player in the place of an American citizen, and the player has to make decisions about important life choices like housing, food, healthcare, job options, and supporting family members.

What I liked:

I liked how realistic the game was with some aspects like unexpected bills or emergencies. The game made me think more than once before making any decision as every step I took seemed very important and could change everything.

What I disliked:

I didn’t like how limited I was with some of my options, I felt that some scenarios were too stressful like that ones related to family so having very limited options in them only made them worse.

What I learned:

I didn’t know how challenging it is to live on low income in the US especially as we as Egyptians always see the good side of life there and not the challenging parts of life. The game made me realise that people face hardships all over the world no matter where they live.

The game also made me realize that getting out of poverty can be one of the most challenging tasks a person could do as it doesn’t depend only on ones choices but also their luck in life as many negative things can happen that we cant control.

Things to improve:

I believe that one thing that could make the game better is adding an ending where the player gets out of poverty and lives a decent life. It is very challenging for such a thing to happen in real life but the game makes it seem impossible and that whoever is in a state of poverty will stay in it no matter their choices in life.

 

Game 2: Syrian Journey: Choose your own escape route

This game asks you to take on a role of a Syrian refugee and make decisions of how to escape and where to escape to. The game is a “choose your own adventure” style game, the player makes choices on how to escape the country and every choice has its consequence.

What I liked:

I liked how detailed and informative the game was, it made me realize how hard it is for people to escape a conflict zone. The game humanized the refugees showing us what they go through and makes us feel the weight of every decision they have to make. The game also made me think critically before making any decision as each decision was uncertain and very important.

What I disliked:

I didn’t like how limited some choices were, some scenarios were overly simple while real refugee situations are full of deeper uncertainty and consequences. I also felt that the game was quite short.

What I learned:

I learned more about the refugee experience and how it is filled with obstacles and challenges at every step. We always see the refugee crisis as a political issue but this game humanizes refugees, making us think about them as individuals that have a life, a family and are quite similar to us.

Things to improve:

One thing to improve is adding different story lines or different perspectives as the game is very limited, this would also make the game longer which will make the player understand the situation on a deeper level.

 

Game 3: Depression Quest

This game is about putting yourself in the shoes of someone who is very depressed and making decisions on their behalf that might make them more or less depressed.  The player follows their life and daily struggles trying to maintain relationships, hold a job, and make decisions while dealing with the heavy mental and emotional burden of the illness.

What I liked:

I really liked how effective the game was in simulating how depression can affect a person suffering from it and how it affects all aspects of their life. The game also makes the player feel for people suffering from depression, it builds empathy as it makes the player understand the hardships people with depression go through.

What I disliked:

I felt that the game was very text heavy and slow paced, pairing this with it being an emotional game made it hard to stay fully engaged without feeling mentally drained.

What I learned:

The game made me understand how depression doesn’t only affect how a person feels but it affects their whole life, it affects how they think, how they interact with others, and how they make decisions.

Things to improve:

One thing to improve is to make the game more interesting for the average player, this could be done by decreasing the text or adding more visual or interactive elements.

 

Game 4: Project Honduras

Project Honduras is an interactive simulation game that places the player in the role of a community leader in Honduras. The goal is to help a rural village survive and improve their living conditions over a period of time while facing real-world challenges such as poverty, climate change, limited resources, and inequality.

What I liked:

I really liked the design of the game it makes it very appealing and easy which makes it more interesting for players keeping them more engaged while learning about the important concepts presented.

What I disliked:

I felt that the game was very limited, it is very informative but the decisions were very simple. The rounds were also a bit repetitive so after a few rounds some people would get bored.

What I learned:

I learned more about a community I knew nothing about, how the decisions made about education, health, farming, or climate adaptation  in such communities that suffer from scarce resources have severe consequences.

Things to improve:

Things to improve include making the game more personal, adding storylines or characters making the decision making process more complex and expanding the scenarios to make the game a bit more interactive.

 

Game 5: Bad News

Bad News is a where you take on the role of a fake news creator. You build your own news site while learning how misinformation spreads and how it manipulates public opinion.

What I liked:

I really liked the structure of the game I felt that it was very creative and that I was engaged with every step. The game also felt very realistic which made me understand the concept it was trying to communicate better. I found the game very informative and it helped me clearly understand the concept of misinformation and how it is made and spread in the real world.

What I disliked:

I didn’t really dislike much about this game I only felt that it was too long and a bit limited but other than that I really liked the game.

What I learned:

I learned how easily misinformation can spread where simple emotional triggers and manipulative tactics are used to create and spread fake news. The game presented different techniques of spreading misinformation like impersonation, playing on emotions, polarization, conspiracy, discredit, and trolling, all are used to build false credibility and gain followers.

Things to change:

One thing I would change is adding a summary at the end of the game as a final message to raise awareness about the tactics and how they work in real life giving examples people can relate to.

Game 6: Orphans and society

Orphans and society by Youssef Fadlallah is a game designed to raise awareness about the emotional, psychological, and social challenges faced by orphans. The player takes the role of a young male orphan navigating different life scenarios from childhood to adulthood and making choices that reflect everyday struggles.

What I liked:

I like how unique this game is, the format to begin with is very good, personally I wouldn’t have thought of making a game this way. I also like how the game gave a voice to this marginalized group, it makes the player feel for the orphan he is playing as it doesn’t just describe the challenges, it makes you feel them.

What I disliked:

I didn’t like how limited the game was visually, in some cases it was very text heavy and lacked any visuals to keep the player engaged. The game also felt quite heavy and intense at times making it more difficult to stay fully engaged.

What I learned:

A notable thing that I learned is how the challenges orphans face go beyond just losing a parent, they face many hardships throughout their life ranging from how society stigmatizes and excludes them just for being orphans. The game made me understand how invasive, discriminatory, and emotionally harmful everyday situations can be for orphans, even when others don’t intend to cause harm.

Things to change:

The game could be enhanced by adding more engaging visuals like drawings, animations, background music, or voice overs. The game could also include some resources or links to articles or organizations supporting orphans explaining how to help raise awareness and take action in order to make a real impact.

Game 7: The Empathy Toy

The Empathy Toy game is a game where two people are blind folded, one of them holding a set of blocks that are built in a specific way and the other holding the same set of blocks but they are disassembled. The goal for this game is for both players to communicate in order for the second player to build the structure without seeing it.

What I liked:

I liked how the game made the players work in a team in order to achieve their goal, the participants had to learn how to communicate with each other well in order for the blindfolded player to build the structure correctly.

What I disliked:

One thing I didn’t like about the game is that the shapes were too challenging for both players either to explain them or assemble them which led to confusion and frustration instead of effective collaboration.

What I learned:

I noticed that people that knew each other prior to this class found it easier to communicate which was interesting for me. I also learned that empathy is based on good communication, it isn’t about feeling for someone and talking to them only but also communicating with them to find a way to help.

Things to change:

The shapes need to be simpler in my opinion or the blindfolded people should get some time to get familiar with the shapes as they were challenging for them to recognize and assemble them correctly.

Final Reflection:

Each of these games are very unique, all tackling different real world issues but in fun and interactive ways. Spent taught me about the reality of life on low income, and Syrian Journey offered insight into the emotional weight of being a refugee. Depression Quest opened my eyes to the effects that mental health has on all aspects of life, and Project Honduras showed the complexity involved in community development in under-resourced societies. Bad News was the most compelling game, teaching about the spread and manipulation of disinformation. Orphans and Society stood out with its emotional depth and personal stories, bringing attention to a marginalized community that is often forgotten. Finally, The Empathy Toy supported the idea that empathy isn’t about being nice, but about communicating, cooperating, and actually hearing the other person out. Together, the games were powerful teaching tools not through information, but through experience, emotion, and comprehension. Each one made me more thoughtful, more observant, and more compassionate towards the struggles that other individuals go through.