The power of games for social good

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Looks like it’ll be a full house Tuesday evening for “Tilting the World: The Power of Games for Good,” with Nicole Lazzaro, president of XEODesign and XEOPlay. I’ll be your humble moderator for this Net Tuesday event.

Details:

When: Tuesday, Sept. 14. Doors open at 6 pm for socializing and snacks. Program program begins at 6:30 pm.

What: What would the world be like if we solved the world’s toughest problems with play? You’d have the warm feelings of generosity and gratitude from volunteering and tap into some of the most powerful human motivators on the planet: the emotions behind play. Because emotion and action are intertwined, games create experiences for people to change their worry into excitement for simple habits that can change the world. Come join us for a discussion of how to Tilt the world, using gaming for good, and get a behind the scenes peek at Tilt’s upcoming global meta-game.

Where: TechSoup Global, 525 Brannan St., Suite 300, San Francisco

Cost: Free, but registration requested on Meetup.com.

Live stream: Justgood.tv plans to live-stream the event.

More: Refreshments will be served.

Tilt: Flip’s Adventure in 1.5 Dimensions is a change in perspective game about how simple choices add up to bring about real change. A simple Tilt from portrait to landscape and the game delivers a “Powers of Ten” experience from cleaning the soil by planting mushrooms the progresses to cleaning the air with Flip’s eco-machines. Players who Tilt the real world such as reducing their carbon foot print through the magic of social media also earn points in the game. The approach comes from the recognition that a collection of simple habits and small goals often creates the situations that cause the most alarm.

The simple truths inherent in social games

Lazzaro says many of the world’s largest problems stem from the additive behavior of individuals. Global change often requires small changes in behavior over time. The additive effects of choosing plastic bags over bringing your own are hard to see, she says. In a game, these choices are simple and amplified.

“Now that we have greater awareness of what the issues are (armed conflict resolution-war/greed, lack of food-hunger/resource+skill, lack of economies-poverty/resource+skill), we can deconstruct these systems into smaller pieces and build new habits,” Lazzaro says. “Because these systems are made of other humans who have loved ones, it’s really not that hard once we find the clear viewing angle.

“Even if you don’t want to make a game for your cause, you can use game-like mechanics to tap into the emotions that help people focus, remember, decide, perform and learn. However, getting games to work for your cause requires more than badges and high scores. Player Experience Design is crafting how interaction creates emotion, and XEODesign’s 4Keys 2Fun shows you how,” she says.

Come on out and learn more! NetSquared San Francisco takes place the second Tuesday every other month.

• NetTuesday: Slow Food for Fast Times (Socialbrite)

• Net Tuesday SF: ‘The New Volunteerism’ (Socialbrite)

• Socialbrite’s night at NetTuesdayJD Lasica, founder and former editor of Socialbrite, is co-founder of Cruiseable. Contact JD or follow him on Twitter or Google Plus.