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Global Conflicts: Child Soldiers Preview: Show Me, Don’t Tell Me
Underground Railroad Video Game Tells The Whole Story
2009 Life. Love. Game Design Challenge Winners Unveiled
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( shake cows, win a ) Milkshake!
10/07/09

In reply to Global Conflicts: Child Soldiers Preview: Show Me, Don’t Tell Me
If anybody is interested, this documentary created by amateur students a few years back got this issue world-wide attention, it's pretty heavy stuff.

[www.youtube.com]

EDIT: the start of the doc is a bit misleading, keep with it though.
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Edited by ( shake cows, win a ) Milkshake! at 10/07/09 8:31 AM

surft
10/07/09

In reply to Global Conflicts: Child Soldiers Preview: Show Me, Don’t Tell Me
Hope this becomes successful enough to produce some real concern and reaction. Children should be playing video games and having fun, not fighting wars they were forced into.
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DigitalHero
07/07/09

In reply to Underground Railroad Video Game Tells The Whole Story
As an African-American person, I don't want this game. What next, a Holocaust game?
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RedStar - Workers of The World Unite
07/07/09

@DigitalHero:

As long as you get to be a nazi.
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DigitalHero
07/07/09

@RedStar - Workers of The World Unite:

Sounds like you think Anti-Semitism is funny.
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(Zombie) Goldwings - Zombie antidote. Attempt 24... somethings happening!
07/07/09

@DigitalHero: What if they can change the perspective of how we can play games to educate ourselves in a manner such as how a movie or book might?

I'm not looking down on your opinion, but if someone doesn't try, how can we know what video games can or cannot do. This subject obviously is on shaky grounds so I definitely understand where some people might draw that line as to what and what they don't want done in a form of a game.

Also there was a Holocaust game that was supposed to be in development for the DS in a form of a storybook gameplay style, but that too got put into the bin and to my knowledge never made it past the Nintendo heads.
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n00b_pwner
07/07/09

@DigitalHero: I could see where you're coming from, but this puts runaway slaves in a whole new medium.

Fiction can be biased and warped, but history is set in stone. This is practically history. I am white, but I took an African American history class. There is no race but one race, and that is the human race. If you had Fallout 3, did you enslave people on your "evil" playthrough, or saved them on your "good" playthough. This is just that with escaping as the main subject.

Also, please refrain using Godwin's Law from this from now on.
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(Zombie) Goldwings - Zombie antidote. Attempt 24... somethings happening!
07/07/09

@DigitalHero:

[kotaku.com]

Found it.
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DigitalHero
07/07/09

@(Zombie) Goldwings:

Damn.
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DigitalHero
07/07/09

@n00b_pwner:

I still disagree and my post wasn't made jokingly. I personally believe that some games do not need to be made.

Also, please don't accuse me of being humorous with the Holocaust. If you posted on Kotaku long enough you would know I take this stuff seriously.
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Mister Jack started the Save The Lombax Foundation
07/07/09

In reply to Underground Railroad Video Game Tells The Whole Story
While it has noble intentions, I have a feeling that if and when the community at large finds out about the project, they'll be a little less understanding to said intentions. Folks don't really like to bring up slavery in this day and age. It's an awkward and uncomfortable subject, even if it was a long time ago.
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SqueakyPlatypus
07/07/09

In reply to Underground Railroad Video Game Tells The Whole Story
I can honestly say I would like to play an Underground Railroad game. That era of history was always one of my favorites to read about, and I always wished I could go back in time and help the slaves escape.
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(Zombie) Strom Thurmond
07/07/09

@SqueakyPlatypus: Same here. My school always ignores America's less than stellar past, but this would serve as a great reminder.
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SketchyIndividual
07/07/09

@Strom Thurmond: A lot of schools do that, almost to an extreme.

When I referred to the extermination of the Native Americans as "the American holocaust" I ended up suspended for a month, because god forbid anyone simply accept that, like damn near every single county to ever exist, we took the land we have by slaughtering the people who were here before us.
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DigitalHero
07/07/09

@SketchyIndividual:

So true, so true.
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Vecha: One more Month
07/07/09

@Strom Thurmond:

Where in America ignores that part of history? That's really really odd.
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(Zombie) Strom Thurmond
07/07/09

@Vecha: Wishing Prototype would go down in price!: Rural Ohio, 1-9th grade. It gets somewhat better after that, though.
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Hey_Blinkon
07/07/09

@Strom Thurmond: I grew up in Massachusetts, and my school system really harped on these kind of issues. There was a LOT of self-flagellating over slavery, native americans, etc. It is interesting how different areas treat these kinds of topics.
If the game here is done with respect to history, and is not politically motivated in the end, it could be a useful tool. I usually have doubts about how things claiming to have "the whole story" turn out though.
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I_Hate_This_Place
07/07/09

@uchennaokafor: Even though I agree that this is in poor taste, I hope it stays just to piss you off. I've seen your posts about "racist this" and "racist that" when many times there wasn't any racism at all. So while I disagree with the OP, I sure as hell hope it stays just to see you squirm.
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Drew Crecente
05/29/09

In reply to 2009 Life. Love. Game Design Challenge Winners Unveiled
Hey Guys - thanks for the great comments!

A few notes:

* 60% of the scoring is based on "educational" value so you should definitely see a bias toward the educational aspect of Teen Dating Violence in the winning games

* we saw a 40% increase in the number of entries this year!

* we also received entries and requests for info from several different countries representing four continents - and one of the winning entries is from Mexico!

Thanks again to Brian and the Kotaku community for the tremendous support that Jennifer Ann's Group has received.

I'm currently in Europe for law school and am spreading the word about teen dating violence here. Today I was fortunate enough to meet with a Supreme Court Justice of Austria while in Vienna and briefly spoke with him about our efforts and the need to educate teens / young adults about this very real issue.

And... for those of you wondering about the "luscious hair and sparkling smile" I can only say that we *do* share the smile. Check out our website if you wanna see the hair!

Again, thanks!

Drew Crecente

Executive Director, Jennifer Ann's Group

(and proud father of Jennifer)
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Komrade Kayce
05/28/09

In reply to 2009 Life. Love. Game Design Challenge Winners Unveiled
I wish I could make a witty comment or joke like I'm sure some others will, but I kind of remember why the subject is so important to you, Brian, and why Valentines Day still sucks. It's just a heap of sad. :(

Thanks for the update on where this contest went. I'm excited to see what kind of creativity will come out here.
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