Oregon Trail, But In Africa

Remember the heart-rending sadness when one of your axles broke, causing your children to starve somewhere out in the mid-west and your oxen to keel over from heat exhaustion? Wasn’t that fun? Didn’t you learn things about proper management, the circle of life and how, no matter how hard you try and how well you think you’re doing, that sometimes things just go wrong?

Well think Oregon Trail but with lions, and famines the likes of which even early settlers would be appalled at, and you have 3rd World Farmer. Created as part of a student project at IT University in Copenhagen, Denmark, 3rd World Farmer challenges players to eek out a sustainable living in a locale rife with poverty and bloody conflict. Grow corn, diversify with chickens, and learn a bit about the troubles plaguing third world families (and countries).

Who said gaming had to be silliness? A prime example of the growing serious games movement.

(via GamePolitics)

Edit: as of 2:34pm EST today the site appears to be down, which is saddening. Anyone know somewhere else to track it down?

Double Edit: In looking for another spot hosting 3rd World Farmer, I stumbled upon Darfur is Dying, which depicts the perils currently being faced by hundreds of thousands in this contested region of the Sudan. Enlightening. This isn’t exactly a cheery post I know, but I do think it’s important to highlight the breadth of gaming experiences and the serious game applications that extend far beyond a hack’n’slash triple-A title.