Truck and Barter

So, this isn't exactly what I was thinking about before, but it is interesting. Turns out a former revolutionary from Serbia is building a video game that will help train people in non-violent methods for political revolution.

"You have to worry about your organization," he continued. "Do you set up a hierarchal organization, or a cell-based one? Who is the best figurehead for the media? What kind of training do people need? And if you march on the capital without proper controls, things may turn violent, which will harm your cause. These are the things people can learn."

"You can have a 'what if' approach," Marovic said. "Play the same game several times, but try different things every time. You can't do that with books. This interaction makes a player spend more time with a game than with a movie. Weeks, instead of hours."

I wonder if you get to set things like tax rates and the opportunity cost of social unrest? This seems like a compelling first step. The skeptic in me, however, can't refrain from mentioning that the entire game is being built by one "side". First-hand experience gives them insight into the actual life of the oppressed, but I tend to think that the simulation would be a lot more useful if the other side of the equation (the ruling elite) were in fact played by actual people looking to keep hold of their power.

And if it comes to XBox Live, I'm immediately putting KD4r0nAc3m0glu on my friends list.