PeaceMaker

by Troy Goodfellow on August 10, 2007

Games can be laboratories, controlled environments to test a range of potential outcomes. The Serious Games movement is premised on the idea that games can be compelling teaching tools beyond the “simulation environment.”

This year’s most publicized Serious Game is PeaceMaker, a game that plops you in the seat of leaders in the Israel-Palestine dispute. Negotiate your way to peace avoiding another Intifada, a popular uprising that will make negotiations fruitless. Both sides have milestones to meet, which are clues that you are heading in the right direction.

The formula is straightforward. Certain actions earn you credibility with certain groups. If the Palestinian President cracks down on corruption, the US will applaud, but Fatah will be upset. If the Israeli Prime Minister assassinates militants, the Arab states wil get angry but settlers will love him. Credibility can then be “spent” by taking risky actions. If Hamas approves of you at the moment, they will tolerate you working a little more closely with Israel. By balancing these costs, you can work your way to a two-state solution, the presumed best possible outcome to the crisis. So once you figure out which action affects whose thinking, the game is pretty easy.

Serious Gaming, however, isn’t about ease or difficulty. It’s not even, necessarily, about fun. It’s about communicating a lesson, and on that score PeaceMaker excels. Both sides in the dispute have serious and legitimate concerns. Israel needs to protect its people from terrorism. The Palestinian Authority needs to create a viable infrastructure. Govern a mile in the other guy’s shoes and learn a little bit about the tensions in the Holy Land.

Educationally, PeaceMaker is a success. It probably won’t be used for more than a couple of class sessions, but limited replayability isn’t a handicap for Serious Games. Students play, get debriefed, and move on.

What about the rest of gamers? For them, PeaceMaker is worth a look to experience what the Serious Game movement is about. For anyone interested in the idea of games as more than entertainment, PeaceMaker is definitely that.