Play Peacemaker
By Lauren Barack -- School Library Journal, 4/1/2007
A new video game strives to teach students conflict resolution by taking sides in the Middle East conflict.
Conceived by graduate students at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, PeaceMaker lets players take on the role of either the Palestinian president or the Israeli prime minister and engage in various scenarios such as giving a speech and negotiating with others.
The game, which can be played in English, Arabic, and Hebrew, went on sale in February. While some of the graphics are inappropriate for younger students, middle and high schools have purchased the game, according to Eric Brown, cocreator of PeaceMaker and CEO of the Pittsburgh-based ImpactGames, which sells the software for $20 per download.
“We’re not focused on the educational market,” says Brown, who mentions that schools can contact ImpactGames for specially priced classroom licensing. “But the things students can learn about conflict resolution go beyond the specific situation.”
PeaceMaker is not the first video game to promote negotiation as a means to peace. But the product has certainly garnered attention, winning both a gaming award at the University of Southern California and a finalist spot with Ashoka, a group that promotes social change in its “Entrepreneuring Peace” contest.
ImpactGames is planning a forum for teachers, who can discuss how they’ve used the game in class. “We are not course providers,” says Brown. “But we hope that early adopters at schools will share that information.”
