Gaming & Documentaries True love or forced marriage? PhD Simon Egenfeldt-Nielsen CEO Serious Games Interactive 27. September 2008, Malmö “…develop games which contain advanced content, operate according to sound pedagogical principles, enable classroom customisation, and create real excitement within the core game market” - Henry Jenkins

Background and team SGI was founded in 2006 in Copenhagen, Denmark The company focuses on developing serious games for educational institutions We develop high-quality games that contain an inseparable combination of “playing”, “learning” and “story-telling”. This is done by a unique cross-disciplinary team with strong roots in research SGI has been steadily growing and employs 14 people today (CEO, Commercial Director, Producer, Game Director, Lead Programmer, Programmer, Lead 3D animator, 3D artist, Character artist, testers etc.) Our company

Background and team Commercial titles Global Conflicts: Palestine (complete) Global Conflicts: Latin America (complete) Client projects Bolivia Brænder (complete) Mayas Eventyr (complete) Babus Hold (complete) Time Machine: Darwin (complete) Our company

Press Our company

The basic format Games & Documentary - Why do it? Dilemma Immersion Perspective Player choice Consequences Constant feedback Documentary (viewer) Game (player)

The potential gains Games & Documentary - Why do it? Never only one truth… Hearing, seeing & doing

Problems & barriers Games & Documentary - Why do it? Format Games are NOT real Playing means doing…! Scenarios rather than reality Credible choices in a realistic setting Evidence, documentation & recording Commerical market Budgets are challenging Distribution are challenging

Numerous doc games Examples of documentary games World without Oil KumaWar Waco Resurrection Paris Riots JFK Reloaded Escape from Woomera Under the Ash Under The Siege

Checkpoint! Trailer Palestine

”I learned more history from this game in one day than I have learned from the teaching the last 6 months” Oliver Hansen, Student, 16 years

Primary target group Subjects: What is the product Danish 8th graders using the game early Global Conflicts: Palestine target students of years  Primary: Citizensship & History  Secondary: Media, religion, ethics, geography & communication (Small TV2 movie)

Seconday target group What is the product Serious gamers taking on the challenge. Global Conflicts: Palestine target mature people with an interest and engagement in current issues Watch documentaries & debate programs Consider themselves knowledgable Often females above 30 years Have an above average education Have an above average income Use IT but not necessarily gamers

f Welcome to the reality Material from Global Conflicts: Palestine online learning resource.

Welcome to Global Conflicts: Palestine In-game shots from the game Global Conflicts: Palestine

Build trust by understanding and exploring different perspectives to get people’s personal story

Feel and understand the tense atmosphere and problems of the conflict of Palestine

Students explore and learn from detailed and scary environment - they see the inside of the conflict

Freelance journalist Get the best article Find informants Gain their trust Get their story Dig out best quotes Put together article Highest journalist level Gameplay You Goal Means Winning What is Global Conflicts: Palestine

Contents Israeli-Palestinian conflict (Content): Experience everyday life in the conflict through real personal accounts on the conflic’ts core issues. Human rights, terrorism & media’s role (Themes): In the game there will be regular references to human rights, terrorism, and the media. Source criticism & writing article (Skills/Methods): Students have to be aware of the right angle, the agenda of sources, and article writing. Perspective-taking, critical thinking & bias awareness (Competences): A variety of perspectives on the same events and issues, which force students to shift between perspectives while thinking critically of bias. What is Global Conflicts: Palestine

Closing “You can keep your demon-lords, your sinister schoolgirls, and your tentacled Cthulhoid abominations. None of them are half as chilling as a 15-year-old Palestinian lad with an unhealthy interest in martyr cards ("They are like your Pokemon trading cards"), Paradise, and Israeli café culture.“ Buy the game: | | Trailer GC:LA