Social Networking for Social Change Part 3: Online Gaming

Written by Lara Kinkartz on 24/03/10

Photo by nicolasnova on Flickr

Social networking sites aren’t the only platforms that are being used to promote social change. Now, even online gaming is being used to spread the message about important causes.

The site gamesforchange.org (G4C) uses video games to address pressing issues like human rights, poverty, global conflict and climate change. The site brings together organizations and individuals in the nonprofit sector, government, journalism, academia, industry and the arts to share ideas and expertise. Its goal is to help organizations network and build video game projects outside their areas of expertise. To achieve this aim, G4C provides workshops for nonprofits, young leaders, artists and philanthropists to teach them about building video games based on social issues.

A variety of these games can be accessed directly on the G4C site by using one of their many “Games Channels” (each which is a collection of games on a particular topic such as public policy, public health or economics). Visit the site and play some of them to see how online gaming can be harnessed for social change!

If you missed them, check out parts 1 and 2 of the blog series where we discussed other social networking sites that promote social change!