Here are 10 serious video games, many of them award-winners, that do just that. These games are on a variety of subjects and are for different age groups. However, what these games all have in common is that they are games for social good.
1. Mission US
Currently Mission US consists of 3 Multimedia History games for tweens. These games are not only about learning history but they deal with thinking about the issues. The 3 games are:
- For Crown or Colony 1770
- Flight to Freedom 1848
- A Cheyenne Odyssey 1866
Two more games will be added over the next two years. These games are meant for tweens and are free to play online or on iPad or Android tablets.More »
2. Nanu Planet
Two space explorers get separated on a planet split in two. Throughout the journey, players explore the various areas of the planet, while encountering different characters, puzzles, and adventures. Nanu is a metaphor for North and South Korea and playing the game teaches teenagers about the history of Korea and the separation. Free online for teens.More »
3. Gauging Your Distraction
This quick game on the NY Times website was created to hopefully teach both teenagers and adults how dangerous it is to text while driving. Free to play online.More »
4. The End
The End is a game of self-discovery, for teenagers, that integrates strategy, puzzles and philosophical questions into a world which explores a range of views about death, belief and science. Free to play online.More »
5. Escape From Diab
As DeeJay awakens in a strange city and makes friends with other kids he finds that they are not in very good condition. He learns that the king does not let them exercise and only allows them to eat junk food. DeeJay makes a quest to escape and help them find healthy food. Free to play online. Best for Tweens.More »
6. Playnormous
Playnormous makes it fun for kids in grades K-5 to learn about healthy eating and exercise (sort of a junior version of the game above). This game is full of interactive stories where your child is the star. Free to play online.More »
7. Sidekick Cycle
In this downhill biker game kids ride on adventurous paths and brave difficult terrain to deliver bikes to kids in need. This exciting game donates bikes and also raises awareness on how much a bike can mean to people in impoverished communities. Free iPad app for all ages.More »
8. Spent
Spent is an online game about the difficulty of surviving poverty and homelessness. It is a very powerful tool for understanding how difficult it is to be so close to losing everything. Free online for teenagers and adults.More »
9. WeTopia
WeTopia is a different kind of social good game. Instead of its main goal being to raise awareness, this type of game's goal is to raise donations for charity. In this cute game players build their own villages.
When players purchase in-game items or see ads, money goes to charities. WeTopia has had great success with donations, especially with celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres and Justin Bieber playing. Free to play online on Facebook. More »
10. Free Rice
I almost forget this game because it has been around so long and isn't really what we think of as a video game. However, it is educational and it gives money to charity. If that isn't a social good game, I don't know what is.
There is one question on the page at a time. If you get the right answer, 10 grains of rice are donated to the United Nations World Food Program. You are then given a harder question. This continues until you get a wrong answer and then you get easier questions again. So simple yet so perfect! Free to play online.More »