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Microsoft's Satchell Talks Games For Change
Posted by Leigh Alexander at 9:20 AM on June 4, 2008
"Imagine a world where we have no ability to influence the people that are going to lead and shape thought for tomorrow," said Microsoft's Chris Satchell, general manager of XNA.
"We have social causes we care about, but we don't have the means to connect with people who can do something about them. We're not there, but its a world that's possible to see unless actvitiesi like we're doing here today really gain some momentum."
Satchell was at the 2008 annual Games For Change festival, discussing the ways Microsoft hopes its XNA development platform will help provide creative activists and educators the tools and opportunities to connect with the young, energetic audience passionate about new media and world issues.
"People will base their lives around gaming experiences; gaming experiences will permeate their lives," he said, stressing just how important it was for the culture to recognise games as agents of genuine social impact.
So what is Microsoft doing?
"We can't solve everything, and won't even try. But what Microsoft can do is can help with a couple of key issues," Satchell said. Creativity struggles to reach the masses, he said, because it takes a long time for a single idea to make it all the way to the top of the industry.
Instead, he said, "We took everything we knew about professional tools and put it in a free product, and made it easy to use."
Social change games need to be built on the same console that people are playing games on already, he said. XNA is "not a silver bullet by any means - it's just one tool they have now to teach sciences or to teach the science of gaming."
Last year Microsoft announced its Imagine Cup competition, challenging users to submit XNA-built games around the theme of environmental sustainability 100,000 students in 60 countries entered, over100 submissions were received, and the winner will be chosen during the finals in Paris later this year.
And at Microsoft's XNA Creators' Club, people can submit new creations or mod existing ones, and then the community moderates and reviews the material.
"You can have a great game that is fun but says something social," said Satchell.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
Danarcho
Posted 10:11 AM 4/6/08
Microsoft is aiming to become a corporate fascist propaganda machine! Don't use soma!
Danarcho
jamesb2147
Posted 9:55 AM 4/6/08
@NeoAkira : What about film? I know a couple of people who would say they have based much of their lives on movies. I think it really depends on the content available. When games have something to contribute, you can find more of them and more time to play them, and base more of your life around them. As per the PC cheap-to-develop games, yeah you're probably right there. What I want to know is why I can't find any games like those at my local GameStop. It couldn't cost THAT much to self-publish could it? At the very least, they should offer the ability to either d/l straight to your system via indie game channels (think audiosurf on steam) OR download a PS(x)-compatible .iso file that can be burned straight to dvd/cd. I don't think this idea has really gained much traction (yet) but that fact it exists in the film industry gives me hope. The Wii also offers a lot of untapped potential to say the least, as do the PSP and DS (less untapped though). I guess I just can't wait for the day Super Columbine Massacre RPG and others come out on the widely available, cheap systems. :p
jamesb2147
thegreatseal
Posted 9:49 AM 4/6/08
What Microsoft SHOULD be doing is following Itagaki around making offers for his own studio.
thegreatseal
_Hayko
Posted 9:48 AM 4/6/08
"We have social causes we care about, but we don't have the means to connect with people who can do something about them. We're not there, but its a world that's possible to see unless activities like we're doing here today really gain some momentum." Is that an actual quote from Satchell, because the last part doesn't make sense?
_Hayko
_Hayko
Posted 9:45 AM 4/6/08
@DaveKap: wrong article?
_Hayko
DaveKap
Posted 9:40 AM 4/6/08
Woah, I clicked on the defamation of childhood comments page and was taken here. Odd.
DaveKap
DaveKap
Posted 9:38 AM 4/6/08
If there's one thing I've learned, thanks to the Internet, it's that the Earth is populated by many crazy, stupid people.
If there's one thing I've learned, thanks to being the class nerd in grade school, it's that being bullied makes you a lot tougher for the harsh world out there.
Unfortunately, if you're a crazy stupid person who got bullied in grade school, the outcome is the parent who you are now dealing with. :P
DaveKap
hk458
Posted 9:38 AM 4/6/08
@hk458:
That and she cuts her articles into little edible chunks...that taste like strawberries...or it could be the strawberrie im eating...either way...keep up the good work.
hk458
hk458
Posted 9:36 AM 4/6/08
I love the way Leigh writes.
Her articles have a little extra personality to them.
hk458
NeoAkira
Posted 9:34 AM 4/6/08
"People will base their lives around gaming experiences; gaming experiences will permeate their lives"
Unless someone is a professional that contributes to gaming in some way such as journalism, production, or programming I can't see people basing their lives AROUND gaming. That just sounds sad to say the least.
Are games fun? Yes. Can they have a social impact? of course. Are they something an average Joe should base their life around? no, it's not healthy.
I'm sure he was just exaggerating but that comment jumped out at me.
And most of the socially-impacting games are PC cheap-to-develop games that can be easily and freely distributed across the internet. I figure it will be harder to get a good reservoir like those for the 360 much less any console.
NeoAkira
Green-clad Gamer Dude
Posted 9:30 AM 4/6/08
@Crawl to China: Ha, good post.
Green-clad Gamer Dude
Laughin_Caulk
Posted 9:27 AM 4/6/08
@Crawl to China: Hilarious!
Laughin_Caulk
Crawl to China
Posted 9:24 AM 4/6/08
YES!! SOCIAL JUSTICE!!!
+ Watch video
Crawl to China
NeoAkira
Posted 10:57 AM 4/6/08
@jamesb2147:
Yes, you do make a good point. If games can widely supply the same amount of social content available in movies today then it could be a viable medium to base one's life around. I think within the next 20 years as DLC becomes more common place, the cheap-to-develop games might become easier and easier to port to consoles. It may not be this generation or even the next, but eventually I think we'll be able to port lots free online game for PC onto consoles.
NeoAkira
okenny :)
Posted 10:49 AM 4/6/08
@Danarcho: Very good... you you're looking for something to stand against and happen to be reading this, I suppose it works. Like I've always said, you can't be out to do something good and make it economically viable. Good things should always be about sacrifice and lose and should never be be from a corporation because when a corporation touches something that's good, it becomes evil regardless of how many people it helps. Next time let's tell Microsoft if it wants to do something good then it should go out of business. I'm sure that will help more people then it hurts.
okenny :)
DARTH_TIGRIS
Posted 11:50 AM 4/6/08
@okenny :):
THAT, sir, earned you that star next to your name. HA!
DARTH_TIGRIS
Futants
Posted 11:45 AM 4/6/08
I hate to be a pessimist but does this not smell of the typical formula of selling the "revolution" and safe activism to the youth of America?
Nike started the ball-a-rollin', and yet I hope people still don't fall for this.
any real activist would also be against Microsoft, which nullifies this whole "plan"
Futants