some interesting news coming out re: a torture-based quest in the new WoW expansion.

what does this imply about teaching (or being unable to teach) abstract values in a gaming world?

Will there be a desensitizing effect?  I’m curious as to how we’d test for one.

An interesting idea – I don’t know enough about WoW to know if it is possible- would be to have a related quest be to save the prisoner and stop the torture.

Commentary here

http://www.youhaventlived.com/qblog/2008/QBlog191108A.html

–Later update–

and here’s some follow-up from WIRED, arguing for what I think is a pretty good rough analogy with our “games to teach values” discussion from early last summer where we mused on using WoW to teach tolerance.

Hi, everyone.

I come across these stories with some frequency, and Gene asked me to share them.

Enjoy!

–AH

“GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — The Army has created a video game unit and will invest $50 million over five years on games and gaming systems designed to prepare soldiers for combat.”

In July 2006, Hal Halpin founded the Entertainment Consumer Association, an advocacy group to champion consumer rights and issues. Since that time, the organization has done its part to give gamers a voice on a variety of issues and has gone out of its way to highlight — and with the help of its members — defeat unconstitutional state and federal anti-consumer legislation all over the United States.

re:  promoting compassion