Week 12 Journal Post

                        I found the game 3^rd World Farmer on the website, gamesforchange.org.  This game challenges you to head a farming family of four in an undisclosed third world nation.  In the game you have a minimal budget and must make tough decisions regarding family health, education, and spending money on crops and livestock to produce food / profit.

                        After playing the game for a few rounds you realize it’s hopeless to send your children to school, or to care for them or yourself and spouse when illness arises.  The only chance at survival in the game is to dedicate your finances to low-risk crops like corn and wheat, and then hope that environmental, economic, or political disaster doesn’t strike—and it almost always does.

                        When you run out of money—that’s a guarantee as well—you’re tempted with really tragic offers like sending your children to work in the city knowing that you’ll never see them again, accepting bribes from companies to dump hazardous chemicals on your property, and mocking your own culture for tourists.

                        Succeeding in this game is hopeless, and that’s the point.  After playing this game, it’s difficult to not think seriously about the lives lived by those residing in third world nations.  The website for the game offers links to organizations that assist those living the conditions represented in the simulation.

                        I think this is an incredible game.  In spite of its somber content, it’s fun, simple to play, and challenges the gamer to engage in social change.  The gamesforchange.org website has awesome socially conscious games that I look forward to incorporating into my classroom.  If you haven’t checked the site out yet, it’s worth a visit!

References

3rd World Farmer: A simulation to make you think. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://3rdworldfarmer.com/

Games for Change. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://www.gamesforchange.org/