High Five: Gaming for Good
Like literature, music and film before it, we’re now firmly in the age of video games as a global influencer of culture, attitudes and behaviours. As an industry, it’s still confronting deep-rooted issues with toxicity, diversity and ecological impact but, with over three billion active players on earth, gaming’s potential as a tool for social change cannot be overstated.
Here are five excellent examples of when the game isn’t just a game, but put at the service of something greater...
Here are five excellent examples of when the game isn’t just a game, but put at the service of something greater...
Reporters Without Borders - 'The Uncensored Library'
Agency: BlockWorks x DDB Berlin x Monks
Many governments restrict access to global media within their countries. However, they haven’t banned Minecraft, the best-selling game of all time. 'The Uncensored Library' is an in-game server and map which allows citizens from countries without freedom of the press to circumvent censorship and access ‘forbidden’ articles. Let’s hear it for loopholes!
Women In Games France - '#GenderSwap'
Agency: BETC Paris
Despite the gender split of gamers worldwide (it’s much closer to 50:50 than you might think), many franchises still reduce their female characters to jiggly, hyper-sexualised clichés. '#GenderSwap' elegantly highlighted this truth by modding games to map male characters onto movements and poses designed for female character models. This launched while I was playing 'Metal Gear Solid V', and I haven’t quite seen Ocelot in the same way since.
Dove - 'Code My Crown'
Agency: Edelman
Collaborator: Open Source Afro Hair Library
A study showed that 85% of black gamers feel underrepresented in video games, so Dove responded by creating the world’s first guide designed to train developers to code for black hair textures and styles in games. It’s the first big step in enabling greater authenticity of in-game representation, allowing black gamers to see their identities more faithfully mirrored in avatar form. Edelman recently went a step further and adopted the Halo Code across their European network. Good work all round.
Banco del Pacifico - 'The Gamer Loan'
Agency: Paradais DDB
In Ecuador, only 20% of young people could afford the collateral that lets them take out a loan. Banco del Pacifico changed everything by announcing they’d accept gaming accounts as non-traditional assets, calculating the value of each one via its purchase history. Suddenly, 50% more young Ecuadorians were eligible for potentially life-changing loans. Smart on paper… but, yes, still a bank.
Talita - 'Mission Talita: Saving the Prostitutes of Los Santos'
Idea Development, Production & Distribution: Åkestam Holst NoA x North Kingdom x FelixTheBlackCat x Vxruz_Danz x NoA Connect x Frame x E-Sportal x Lamin Sonko
Talita is an NGO supporting women exploited in the sex trade. They modded an alternative 'GTA V' experience in which you can help to free in-game prostitutes rather than exploiting them and then taking back your money. Each character’s story is based on the experiences of real victims of prostitution. Bonus points for every part of the campaign being produced pro bono.
From gaming’s inauspicious start as a source of moral panic (if your kids play 'San Andreas', they’ll murder you), it’s now so mainstream that even TV shows based on games are decent. As infrastructure continues to develop and the global player base grows, video games are uniquely positioned to reach our minds through our fingertips… all without sacrificing the entertainment.
