Debitway Speaks Out About Games For Social Good
DebitWay’s Corporate Blog has reported about a game being developed by Concordia’s Critical Hit Summer Program that focuses on educating gamers about the making of weaponry to highlight how profiteering works and show the world that more guns don’t mean the end of world problems. The game, tentatively called Gun Factory, is a part of a four-game project by the same program and is being developed by recent graduate Mehrdad Dehdashti. The gamer portrays the role of the factory owner and is responsible for all the decisions made.
Decode Global, a Montreal based gaming studio, is one of the partners in the summer program. The studio, which focuses on games built for social good, uses the experience that they have in the industry to mentor the students in the program. Angelique Mannella, CEO at Decode Global, told Globe and Mail that the market for video games continues to grow. “Worldwide, it’s expected to climb from $63-billion in 2012 to $78-billion in 2017, according to industry research from DFC Intelligence. There’s also a growing interest in what’s become known in the industry as ‘games for change.’” The projects with Critical Hit prioritize the fun component and the storytelling component, while subtly looking for ways to introduce the social angle.
DebitWay has previously expressed interest in the growing trend in the gaming industry of social impact since it brings about a positive change in the society. The blog has claimed that the company would be extremely eager to support this trend in whatsoever way they could.
“The gaming industry is a major focus for DebitWay currently, but we want to make a difference in the industry as well,” said Rod Tomita, Director of Business Development with DebitWay. “All I can say is that we would extend as many resources as possible to build the trend of Games for Change in the industry,” he added.