American culture has been projected overseas in various ways: Elvis, blue jeans, Coca-Cola, MTV, Hollywood films. Now, in a program announced Wednesday by the U.S. Department of State, this pantheon will include video games.
American culture has been projected overseas in various ways: Elvis, blue jeans, Coca-Cola, MTV, Hollywood films. Now, in a program announced Wednesday by the U.S. Department of State, this pantheon will include video games. In the latest round of Stevens Initiative grants, the U.S. Department of State and the nonprofit Games for Change announced a new project that seeks to engage 2,700 students in the U.S., Israel, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in a virtual student exchange program centered on the development and creation of social impact video games. „Games have a power beyond entertainment, they can be significant drivers of social impact,“ said Susanna Pollack, president of Games for Change, which has been focused on supporting the creation of video games with a social message. „It’s a medium that’s universal…. Like other forms of media, games can address important social topics and meet people where they are.“ Marie Royce, who served as Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs from 2018-21, said her goal in developing the program, named Game Exchange, was to increase the scope and scale of exchange programs. „I felt it was important to be where people are at,“ Royce said. „Young people have something in common and it’s that they play video games. I think it’s important to have initiatives around gaming. It’s an opportunity to give everybody a chance to have an exchange. „In creating video games, people develop tremendous skills that are involved in that industry. They’re better able to think critically, develop STEM skills and develop leadership skills.
