1/ Spent

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I made it through the month with $430 (but rent’s due tomorrow). I managed to survive, but I had to make a lot of sacrifices. The biggest one was ignoring my childhood best friend’s wedding. I knew it would cost me emotionally, and it really did. I also had to sacrifice things for my kid, I even told him “no” when he asked for ice cream. That moment made me feel like a terrible father.

While playing, I felt sad, frustrated, and guilty, because every decision forced me to choose between basic needs and human emotions. I learned that poverty isn’t just about money, it’s about losing the freedom to make choices that feel right. If I could improve the game, I’d suggest adding more background stories or voices of real people at the end to make it even more personal and realistic.

2/ BBC Syrian Refugees

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This game was both interesting and depressing. I found myself and my family ending up in refugee camps. I made a lot of sacrifices and trusted the wrong people, but I had no choice. I wanted to make it to Greece, but it was incredibly hard.

Playing it made me feel anxious and hopeless at times, especially when every choice seemed dangerous. I learned how fragile safety and stability are, and how difficult it is to make “right” choices when all options carry risks. To improve the game, I’d suggest adding more positive outcomes or hopeful stories to show resilience and survival, not only tragedy.

3/ Responsible Partying

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I could relate to this game a lot because something very similar happened to me just two days ago. It really taught me how to be responsible and made me realize that some decisions, even small decisions, can affect our entire lives or lead to addiction.

During the game, I felt aware and a bit nervous, as if I was being reminded of real consequences. I learned that being responsible doesn’t mean being boring; it means protecting yourself and others. The “Tea Consent video “was a perfect example of how to explain consent in a simple way. I’d improve the game by adding more short clips or real-life scenarios so players can visualize how decisions affect outcomes.

4/ September 7th, 2020

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This game gave me a very strange and emotional feeling. It felt weird to relive the COVID-19 pandemic, a period we all actually lived through. When someone in the game responded aggressively after I told them to wear a mask, it reminded me of real life. Most of my friends and family didn’t take COVID seriously, and many refused to wear masks. Sadly, I lost my grandfather, three neighbors, and two online friends. I almost lost my mother too, and I was the one who infected her.. but thank God we survived.

The game made me feel both nostalgic and heavy-hearted. I learned how important empathy and social responsibility are during crises. If I could improve it, I’d suggest adding different character perspectives: like doctors, students, or parents, to show how the pandemic affected everyone differently.

5/ Being Under the Influence

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This student-created game by Karim Habashi was fun and very realistic. It showed the reality of Gen Z, how easily we can get influenced by trends or peer pressure. I liked how the creator used the tone of a teenager, saying things like “you wanted to seem odd” or “you wanted to seem like a bad boy.” It felt like I was inside a teenager’s mind.

While playing, I felt curious and amused, but also reflective about how social validation can affect our decisions. I learned that fitting in often pushes people into making poor choices, and awareness is the first step to resisting pressure. I’d improve the game by reducing the text length in the choices and changing the colors; light green and orange weren’t very comfortable to read.

6/ When Someone You Love Is Depressed

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This student game by Alia was one of my favorites. I loved the animation, design, and all the details in each slide. It made me realize how powerful friendship can be in healing emotional pain. The story of Nouha and Khaled was touching, Nouha never gave up on Khaled, who had been suffering from depression for eight years. I really appreciated how the game presented serious facts about mental health with a sarcastic Egyptian touch, like “معلش” or “انت مش قريب من ربنا.”

I felt emotional, hopeful, and sometimes angry at how society misunderstands depression. I learned that small acts of care, even from strangers, can change someone’s life. I remember reading a post in an AUC student group where a random girl comforted a guy crying in his car, and her words made him feel better. It reminded me of the same message this game teaches. To improve it, I’d suggest adding multiple endings that depend on how supportive the player is, showing how empathy can change outcomes.

7/ The Empathy Toy (Class Activity)

This class activity was fascinating to watch. Two blindfolded students tried to build a structure using wooden toys while describing the shapes to each other. They struggled a lot to communicate, and even when we (the ones not blindfolded) tried to help, it was still difficult to describe the shapes clearly.

What impressed me most was our classmate who can’t see. The way she described the shapes was incredible, she touched each piece for just a few seconds and then perfectly explained their positions. Watching this made me feel amazed and inspired. I learned that empathy is not about pity, it’s about understanding others’ perspectives, experiences, and ways of seeing the world. To improve the activity, I’d add sound cues or timed challenges to train communication and teamwork even more.

Overall Reflection and Comparison

Across these seven games, I noticed a strong connection: they all aim to build empathy through choices. Spent and Syrian Refugees taught me about survival and sacrifice. Responsible Partying and September 7th, 2020 focused on personal responsibility and how our actions affect others. Being Under the Influence and When Someone You Love Is Depressed explored emotional and social struggles faced by young people today. Finally, The Empathy Toy tied everything together by showing empathy in a physical, real-world way.

While each game had a different story, they all made me feel something real: sadness, guilt, hope, reflection, and understanding. They reminded me that games can be much more than entertainment; they can be powerful tools for education, self-awareness, and delivering messages.