Peacemaker Game Continues Mainstream Coverage

The much-discussed Peacemaker 'serious game', which attempt to "teach peace in the Middle East" and advance the cause of social games, continues to garner mainstream press coverage, with a new Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article covering the ImpactGames and CMU-developed title. The article explains of the title: "The game asks players to act as either the Israeli prime minister or the Palestinian president and react to a violent event in their respective areas... React angrily by sending bombs across the border and risk becoming a war criminal. Broker a peace and a two-state solution with the other side _-while keeping the support of hard-liners on your own - and win the Nobel Prize." This time, some of the background to the game's construction is particularly noted: "To show how serious they were, the game makers tried it out on Arab students in Qatar and experienced negotiators in Boston and Washington, D.C., some of whom worked on the Camp David Accords in 1978. They also met with Jewish and Muslim students in Squirrel Hill and Monroeville." Particularly notable is a mention of the Pittsburgh 'serious games' scene: "Serious gaming has a beachhead in Pittsburgh. In addition to ImpactGames, the city is home to another new firm, Sim Ops Studios, South Side, which has a contract with Mine Safety Appliances for a thermal imaging game for firefighters." You can now read the full article on Peacemaker via the Scripps Howard News Service - the game has also recently been covered in a high-profile article for the Associated Press.