Spent  (http://playspent.org/)

I played the game 2 times with 2 different strategies. The first time I chose the highest paying job and spent as much as I could but I didn’t spend on the choices that would make me broke. I got the gold plan health insurance and rented out the closest place to work. I couldn’t afford paying off my credit card so I paid the minimum, and I also had to drive my car illegally because I didn’t have enough money for the annual car inspection. I lost my job on day 30 for confronting people that were saying untrue things about me, and I made it to the end with $242.

The second time I played, I chose the lowest paying job and tried to not spend money at all. I rented out the farthest place from work and chose the bronze health insurance plan. That resulted in treating my child very badly by not spending much on him, for instance, I got him a cheap pair of shoes and I didn’t let him go to parties or trips. I didn’t buy anything from the grocery store and ignored all the bills. I made it to day 30 with $792.

What makes the game good is that it puts you in the shoes of a regular guy with a kid starting with $1000, and then it makes you make important financial decisions that an American guy would have to take in his life. It shows you how expensive life is without having a fancy job. As it shows from my gameplay, being cheap and not spending money doesn’t have consequences which is unrealistic to real life, it just shows a blue circle titled with results and displays real life statistics relating to the decision. This is what makes the game educational, but for instance, not purchasing food or drinks from the grocery store doesn’t have any consequences such as leading to hunger. another thing that happened relating to that point is that when I chose the gold health insurance plan, I still had to pay money when I had chest pain to get it checked out. This makes the player have a better outcome when being cheap which is unrealistic.

BBC Syrian Refugees (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32057601)

I also played this game twice. In my first playthrough I chose to be a male and go to Egypt then I went to Libya to finally go to Benghazi, but the boat capsized and me and my family were found dead in Italian shores.

In my second playthrough, I played as a male, went to turkey, didn’t trust a guy to pay a deposit to go to Greece, and traveled by land to not risk the boat being capsized, an inflatable boat capsized on a woman and her daughter so I saved them but I got caught and went to a refugee camp in turkey without my family.

This game is simpler than Spent but it hits a lot harder. The fact that I am playing as a civilians who is trying to flee their country to live a safe life is so sad as this is what happens to people in real life. In this game, any choice you make can have unexpected outcomes, as everything is risky and dangerous and could lead to death. Unfortunately, it seems like most of the decisions that I make can lead to a negative outcome, and the saddest part about the game is that it is programmed on actual Syrian refugees who goes through these things.

September 7th, 2020 (https://caitkirby.com/downloads/Fall%202020.html)

I like how the game puts me in the shoes of someone who has a bunch of physical and mental illnesses. I feel like I don’t understand what someone might be going through if I didn’t experience what they are feeling myself. For instance, in this game, the person I am playing as has a mobility disability and has to sit in a wheelchair. I normally imagine the disadvantages of someone being on a wheelchair is that they need ramps everywhere to be able to move, but in this game, it shows that there are other disadvantages such as everybody’s spit and exhalation lands on you as you are shorter than everybody, which is something that I would have never known if I haven’t been told or experienced it myself. This game has a lot of examples like that. I also liked some parts because I felt like I could relate to them. I also liked how the ending connected back to the beginning of the game as a loop.

responsible partying (https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1FUGGJrxTjq9YnmcRGJKG_CsX1npnBy9LpSrlYVAgiNE/mobilepresent?pli=1&slide=id.p)

this game was very interesting to me as I’ve never been to a party before, and this game shows what it’s like to be there. I like how the game is made with Google Slides, which is very creative as Google Slides isn’t made to develop games, but the game works fine. The educational videos about drinking alcohol and consent were a cool addition to the game, as well as the statistics and evidence shown after making decisions, were helpful as I didn’t know them. If I would refine the game, I would maybe change the background picture of each slide, or add some animations and music, so the game would be more immersive and less bland.

Bad News (https://www.getbadnews.com/#intro)

I like how the game takes this approach as I am chatting with someone who is guiding me through what to do to be a successful fake news account owner. not only is the game funny and well made, but it educates you on the different types of fake news and how it is done. The animations and the feedback I get from Twitter after making a decision is a very good addition. This game made me question a lot of news that I’ve seen on social media today, which can be untrue. I’ll make sure that I double check news from now on, as people can come up with fake news for money.

Among Us for teaching English (https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1LIAkSEJW6hrU_GOsIZujJc8RI5VSeFoER_ad4WU55jI/view)

the idea of teaching English in a fun way like that is cool, but the problem is that the game didn’t really teach. All it did was ask a question and if you got it right, you headed to the next question, but if you answered incorrectly then you tried again, so the game never taught me, it just asked me. I also didn’t get the last part of it, where I had to choose who the imposter was, I didn’t understand how to know that, but I got it right the first time, so I guess it’s fine. I like the idea of using an actual video game and making something educational out of it, it just needs a bit more work and it would be good.

Privilege walk

I really liked this game because it made us aware of what people in Egypt experience due to their different identities. It showed us that people could have so much less opportunities just because of their skin color, or their religion for example. It also made us aware of how people who aren’t fortunate enough to be born into a wealthy family can have neither education nor healthcare. This game definitely made me realize how lucky and blessed I am.