Researcher: How Computer Games Can Make the World a Better Place

The importance of computer and video games for social interaction has been emphasized by Johanna Birker, professor of media informatics at Ludwig Maximilians University (LMU) in Munich and TU Graz in Austria. “Games can convey values ​​that no other medium can and allow you to slip into different roles,” said the professor of media informatics at Ludwig Maximilians University (LMU) in Munich and TU Graz in Austria on Thursday evening at the Gamescom conference in Cologne.

“I can see the world through different eyes.”

As an example, she cited the game “Path Out” in which you play as a Syrian refugee. Society urgently needs such changes in perspective in order to understand the difficulties that others face.

Games are associated with prejudice,

The scientist stressed that games still face “hundreds of thousands of prejudices”, especially in Austria and Germany. If you are not at Gamescom, it is “very difficult” to be a game developer or researcher because some people still do not understand it. There are educational gaps in computer and video games as well as in artificial intelligence.

Benedikt Grindel, CEO of games.nrw, confirmed:

“Games, in the best sense of the word, are social media where we learn how to interact with each other.”

Players are used to playing with different people in different roles, as confirmed by the region's managing director for the game's publisher Ubisoft. Computer and video games have been able to connect people who would not have otherwise come together.

Enable interactive collaboration

Thomas Coenen, head of digitalization and innovation at the Federation of German Industries (BDI), made similar comments. Games enable people to interact interactively. For example, anyone who communicates with others via a headset learns how to act lightly with each other. Games enable participation across cultures, genders and ages.

He explained that companies could also learn from a playful approach to further training and education. Gamification doesn’t mean that insurance companies make bad games that no one plays. It’s about teaching new things with fun elements.

The Gamescom conference was held on Thursday in parallel with the Gamescom trade fair for computer and video games. More than 60 program points focused, among other things, on the importance of video games for democracy and the role of artificial intelligence (AI).