Samuel Freilich's Blog – May 2010 Archive (4)

I came to Evoke in large part because I enjoy seeing interesting ideas. The intersection between game design and other disciplines of social analysis and manipulation is fascinating. That includes the use of social networking software and social psychology to make more addictive games (for example, Farmville), the use of games to enhance marketing and customer participation (Foursquare), or using games to persuade people to spend more effort on otherwise unappealing or frustrating tasks (The… Continue

(Finishing a few missions before wrap-up.)



The Barefoot College in India is an interesting example of how to create synergy between indigenous knowledge and modern technology and ideas. Among other projects, they've been working on electrifying rural villages with solar power.



Some key ideas they use in meeting this goal:



- For community improvement… Continue

Challenges to tackle:

• Slavery, human trafficking, and labor conditions; the future of work
  
  
• Political repression; fighting for freedoms and political power
• Climate change

Where to focus:

• China
• The Middle East

Who to encourage to play:

• Students
• Politicians

How to change the game:

• Less ripping off Heroes. That show isn't even well-written to begin with.
• Less rather…

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Building and maintaining public trust is key if you want a coordinated disaster response effort. If people don't trust those responding to the disaster, they won't be cooperate, and may act in counter-productive ways. Without trust, coordination goes out the window.



The Nieman Guide to Covering Pandemics mentions a few interesting,… Continue