Anyone who's ever imagined a world without vegetables or treadmills will soon be able to watch the results of that lifestyle play out in a virtual universe called Fatworld.
Players control their groceries, recipes, exercise and even government regulations, but as in the real world, those decisions are heavily influenced by socioeconomic status. People customize their Fatworld alter ego's body type, predisposition to chronic disease and financial status at the beginning of the game. Every subsequent choice has immediate consequences.
"Some people may play this game with the intention of killing themselves as quickly as possible -- eating garbage, never doing anything," says Ian Bogost, the lead designer of Fatworld. "You could play like that, or you could play in a very straight and narrow way, trying to live as long as possible."
Fatworld came into existence because Bogost was frustrated the debate about obesity revolved around the need for people to exercise self-control, without acknowledging socioeconomic factors.
"If you wanted to have salmon and asparagus every day, that sounds great, but if you can't afford it, you're very quickly going to feel forced to start making different kinds of decisions," Bogost says of the limits the game imposes on people's shopping choices and political clout based on their finances.
Video games are blamed for everything from rising obesity rates to schoolyard violence, but Fatworld -- which will be released online in the fall -- is just the latest to rip its subject matter from the headlines in the hope of enlightening players. Other offerings in the "serious games" trend have tackled the crisis in Darfur, climate change, natural disaster prevention, humanitarian aid and Canadian history.
"There's a tremendous amount of interest in using games because it seems hot and sexy, and kids are playing games so maybe we can reach them," Bogost says.
Bogost is the co-founder of Persuasive Games, an Atlanta studio that specializes in video games tackling sociopolitical issues with a strong opinion and a dose of satire.
The company recently started creating monthly games for the opinion section of the New York Times website. Bogost says his games aren't meant to be digital lectures or pure entertainment, but rather "the video game equivalent of an editorial cartoon."
Video and computer games can be powerful educational tools because they go beyond mere discussion to simulate results in a virtual environment, says Nathon Gunn, CEO of Bitcasters, a Toronto company that produces online, TV and gaming content.
People play games simply because they're fun, so any lesson embedded within them gets a better reception than an obvious lecture, he says.
Bitcasters recently launched HistoriCanada, a computer game directed at teens that lets players relive or drastically rewrite the country's past. Although "serious games" like it are an increasingly popular category, Gunn says the entire video game medium still suffers from an identity crisis.
"People often think of games in a very narrow way," he says. "They might think it's running around shooting my enemies' heads off, but there are many different types of games."
According to a 2006 survey by ACNielsen, 35 per cent of households own a game console.
-- CanWest News Service
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