In the News Archives

June 2006

The Constitution, Moby Dick, Citizen Kane… and Super Mario?

Are video games a part of America’s national heritage? Well, the Library of Congress seems to think so.

In April, representatives from the Library of Congress (LOC) met with leaders from various industries that create digital media, including video games, to discuss new strategies for preserving these fragile media for long-term archival purposes. “We are faced with the potential disappearance of our cultural heritage if we don’t act soon and act together to preserve digital materials,” said Laura E. Campbell, Associate Librarian for Strategic Initiatives.

The meeting was part of the LOC's ongoing "Preserving Creative America" initiative, which is designed to help digital media producers (such as game-makers) to create business models encouraging preservation. To learn more, visit the LOC website.

Playing to Save Lives – Very Serious Games

Video games can entertain. They can teach. Can they even help to save lives?

Darfur is Dying, created by a group of University of Southern California students, was recently named the winning game in the Darfur Digital Activist Contest. The contest, sponsored by mtvU in partnership with the Reebok Human Rights Foundation and the International Crisis Group, encouraged college students to create games that would raise awareness about the genocide in the Sudan. The game is a simulation that places the player in the role of a displaced Darfurian; it also offers detailed information about ways to get involved in ending the real-world crisis.

Darfur is Dying is only one in a recent spate of "activist" video games. Others include Food Force, which was created for the United Nations' World Food Programme and calls attention to global hunger, and PeaceMaker, a game about the Middle East peace process that was developed at Carnegie Mellon University.

Links:
http://www.darfurisdying.com
http://www.food-force.com/
http://www.etc.cmu.edu/projects/peacemaker/TheGame.htm

E3 Roundup plus the Art of Games

The three major video game console-makers were all in the news at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (better known as E3) in Los Angeles. Microsoft had Bill Gates making his first-ever E3 appearance to promote the Xbox; Sony showcased the new (and pricey) Play Station 3; and Nintendo unveiled its Wii console featuring an innovative motion-sensitive controller. To get more of the details, check out Gamasutra’s extensive coverage of the event at http://www.gamasutra.com/e32006/.

One especially intriguing part of E3 was the art exhibit, “Into the Pixel,” which included 16 works of video game art chosen from more than 150 submissions worldwide. Does the exhibit validate video games as art? “I don’t know. But, frankly, I don’t care,” said art historian (and non-gamer) Louis Marchesano. “But you can’t look at these pieces and not be moved by them, intrigued by them.” Judge for yourself.

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