In NYC, Teens Game Their Way to a Better World
In NYC, Teens Game Their Way to a Better World
June 28, 2009
Yesterday in the Big Apple, socially-aware teens held the first-ever NYC Youth Media & Technology Festival. The event spotlighted the work of teenagers who create video games and other digital media projects in order to advance social causes.
Organizers expected about 100 attendees for the Festival. The gathering was intended to produce a citywide dialogue about the role of new media and technology in teens' lives and how it can be utilized to promotes issues kids care about.
A group of young designers affiliated with the New York Public Library were scheduled to showcase their designs and conceptualizations for serious video games about subjects like celebrity drug use, media consolidation and genocide.
Meanwhile, teens from the Global Kids Virtual Video Project premiered an animated short film about child sex trafficking in the United States. Members of MOUSE discussed their efforts to advance technology in New York City public schools by developing open source labs, advocating for the One Laptop Per Child campaign and other efforts.
The invitation-only event was held at the Parsons The New School for Design.
-Doug Buffone, Entertainment Consumers Association intern
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LOGINGamePolitics ShoutBox
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:20pm
DarkSaber: Although, unsurprisingly, he's just being called an idiot alot and criticised for being as illegible as always.
DarkSaber: Although, unsurprisingly, he's just being called an idiot alot and criticised for being as illegible as always.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:18pm
DarkSaber: Oh good lord, I just found Zippy on The Escapist.
DarkSaber: Oh good lord, I just found Zippy on The Escapist.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:14pm
Valdearg: IE: Male body/Female Mind or Female Body/Male Mind.
Valdearg: IE: Male body/Female Mind or Female Body/Male Mind.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:13pm
Valdearg: @Zip: TG == Transgendered/Transsexual.
Valdearg: @Zip: TG == Transgendered/Transsexual.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:09pm
DarkSaber: Forget it Zippy, it's an abbreviation of a big word and so would be wasted on you
DarkSaber: Forget it Zippy, it's an abbreviation of a big word and so would be wasted on you
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:07pm
ZippyDSMlee: Vlag:....TG?
ZippyDSMlee: Vlag:....TG?
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:02pm
Valdearg: @DS: Im sure that's what they'd do if it wasn't legal to just tell Gays/TG's to "Screw off," just because they're who they are.
Valdearg: @DS: Im sure that's what they'd do if it wasn't legal to just tell Gays/TG's to "Screw off," just because they're who they are.
Posted 02/09/10 at 02:50pm
DarkSaber: Whoever told him/her/it that is dumb. They should have done like most companies and made-up some bullshit, yet legal, reason for it not getting the job.
DarkSaber: Whoever told him/her/it that is dumb. They should have done like most companies and made-up some bullshit, yet legal, reason for it not getting the job.
Posted 02/09/10 at 01:16pm
Andrew Eisen: Shouldn't be. Spirit of anti-discrimination laws would seem to include sexual orientation (and eye color). Plus there's always equal protection and such. Never know until you try.
Andrew Eisen: Shouldn't be. Spirit of anti-discrimination laws would seem to include sexual orientation (and eye color). Plus there's always equal protection and such. Never know until you try.
Posted 02/09/10 at 01:10pm
Andrew Eisen: Should have sued (unless that wasn't an option given her financial situation or something). Might have won.
Andrew Eisen: Should have sued (unless that wasn't an option given her financial situation or something). Might have won.
Posted 02/09/10 at 01:00pm
Valdearg: Story about a Male to Female TG who was expressly told she wouldn't be given a job because she was TG. Its not the main point of the story, but explicit, perfectly legal discrimination like this exists.
Valdearg: Story about a Male to Female TG who was expressly told she wouldn't be given a job because she was TG. Its not the main point of the story, but explicit, perfectly legal discrimination like this exists.
Posted 02/09/10 at 12:53pm
Valdearg: Lol, I don't know. It may very well be legal to do so. Though that might able to fall under the "race" restriction, depending on how that point is argued.
Valdearg: Lol, I don't know. It may very well be legal to do so. Though that might able to fall under the "race" restriction, depending on how that point is argued.
Posted 02/09/10 at 12:51pm
Valdearg: I don't think they do have any legal recourse. I'll have to dig around, but I seriously believe that if the law doesn't specifically mention Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity, they can still be discriminated against in those 29 states.
Valdearg: I don't think they do have any legal recourse. I'll have to dig around, but I seriously believe that if the law doesn't specifically mention Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity, they can still be discriminated against in those 29 states.
Posted 02/09/10 at 12:51pm
Andrew Eisen: Eye color isn't covered either but I doubt it would be considered legal to refuse to hire people with green eyes.
Andrew Eisen: Eye color isn't covered either but I doubt it would be considered legal to refuse to hire people with green eyes.
Posted 02/09/10 at 12:48pm
Andrew Eisen: My explanation is longer than the Shoutbox will allow. Suffice to say that while those who are discriminated against do have legal recourse, anti-discrimination law should specifically cite sexual orientation so that there’s no question about it.
Andrew Eisen: My explanation is longer than the Shoutbox will allow. Suffice to say that while those who are discriminated against do have legal recourse, anti-discrimination law should specifically cite sexual orientation so that there’s no question about it.
Posted 02/09/10 at 12:42pm
Valdearg: "There is no federal law that consistently protects LGBT individuals from employment discrimination; it remains legal in 29 states, and in 38 states to do so based on gender identity or expression." From the Human Rights Campaign.
Valdearg: "There is no federal law that consistently protects LGBT individuals from employment discrimination; it remains legal in 29 states, and in 38 states to do so based on gender identity or expression." From the Human Rights Campaign.
Posted 02/09/10 at 12:40pm
Valdearg: @AE: Why don't you think I'm correct? I know Wiki could be flawed, but as far as it says, its up to date as of June 2009.
Valdearg: @AE: Why don't you think I'm correct? I know Wiki could be flawed, but as far as it says, its up to date as of June 2009.
Posted 02/09/10 at 12:39pm
Andrew Eisen: I don't think you're right but I really don't know and don't have the time to find out. However things actually are, it's very clear how they actually should be.
Andrew Eisen: I don't think you're right but I really don't know and don't have the time to find out. However things actually are, it's very clear how they actually should be.
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Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
Well, at least no one tried to pull city code violations to shut it down it seems.
I feel the same about this too, I sure hope no politician wants to use this as a political vote grabber and want to pull this exhibition down.
Because it is important for people to do things like this, even though not many people would ever understand the issues they are going into.
I know, we can call it "Getting Mirched" :D
"animated short film about child sex trafficking"? Sounds fun.
Sounds allot like a Japanese Hentai film that has been around for a long long time.
And remember, Hentai is the adult name for Anime and Manga for adults only, so in a way they also try to talk about society issues. However the detail they go into often offends other people.
I don't think that a school could ever really do a film that porperly goes into that sort of theme without offending people.
So... what was that bullshit from the Eagle Forum about again? Video game being the cause of all social ills?
Good show, but to them, it won't matter. If they can pretend it never happened, there's little to convince them otherwise. And surely, to them, the bad outweighs the good.
I could say the same thing with Jack Thompson (note: John Bruce Thompson from the USA. To anyone in the Baby Boomer Generation I am NOT talking about the other Jack Thompson who is a well respected Australian TV person) , Senator Yee, Keith Vass, Michael Atkinson, a few certain members of the USA congress, the entire Thiland Government, a fair few number of politicians in Germany, all those people who lost their kids in school shootings and still blame Violent Videogames for their kids death, the mothers and fathers who blame videogames for their kids suicide.
To be honest, there is nothing you can do for those who always blame Videogames for everything that they don't understand.
All we can do is to be thankful that we as individuals know better.
And so far in Japan, many adult game designers have been doing those very same issues in their games for well over 20 years.
Also don't forget that even in Anime and Manga, they do go into allot of themes of social issues and problems.
Not all are about sex and sexuality and how rape is horrible and all those sort of themes.
Even some Anime and Manga and Dating Simulation games have delved into social issues like Cancer (Amusement Park for example) and Amnesia (Rumbling Hearts for example).
With Autism, there is the Manga called With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child (that is the actural name) and there are allot of other social issues that do rise up in that Manga like School Bullying, Workplace Bullying, Domestic Violence, Raising Children while being a single parent, how people who are a bit different are often shunned from society because other people can't understand them.
So many social issues have been in many Japanese Anime, Manga and Dating Sims that it is hard to think why there is so many people in this world who just don't understand Anime, Manga or Japanese Dating Sim games.