As I explain in my book We the Gamers: How Games Teach Ethics and Civics, games can help players practice important skills related to civics and public life, like communication, empathy and compassion, critical thinking, and problem-solving. To win, players need to collect items, build shelters, find weapons and avoid bad weather. Players need to use communication and deliberation skills to try to figure out who the imposters are. Letting millions of people experiment in a digital world could provide insights identifying productive – and destructive – policies that might be adopted in the physical world. As Americans consider how to become more civically engaged and encourage each other to do so, digital games provide opportunities to learn, grow, explore and change – not just individually, but in terms of humanity and society as well.

Source: The Star July 18, 2021 02:00 UTC