Australia Releases Divorce: The Game
Kids usually play videogames for fun, but Australia wants them to play to understand why their parents got divorced.
If I had to choose one concept I never thought there'd be a videogame based on, it'd be Shaquille O'Neal as a kung-fu fighter [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaq_Fu]. If I had to choose a second, I'd pick divorce, but somehow videogames with both of these basic concepts have been developed, with the latter recently launching in Australia.
The Australian government has created a videogame that is designed to help kids understand and cope with the divorce of their parents. In tandem with a book, the game is said to answer questions that kids might have over the heartbreaking situation.
There's no special pre-order bonus for this one, so don't feel like you have to rush out to the store to pickup a copy. The game is designed for kids under 12 and is available from Australia's Department of Human Services for free.
Human Services Minister Tanya Plibersek says the game "provides an opportunity for parents to sit with children and go through the games and go through the activity book and have the discussions that are naturally prompted by doing these activities." Exactly what kids do in the game wasn't revealed.
Videogames have been proven as a great method to teach kids or get them interested in something, but this divorce game make me feel uncomfortable. Are there actual goals? Is the music depressing? Does it point out that sometimes videogames themselves cause divorce [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/101796-Divorce-Lawyers-Use-WoW-FarmVille-Facebook-in-Court]? Someone get their hands on it and let us know, please.
Source: Develop [http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/11/09/3061498.htm]
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Kids usually play videogames for fun, but Australia wants them to play to understand why their parents got divorced.
If I had to choose one concept I never thought there'd be a videogame based on, it'd be Shaquille O'Neal as a kung-fu fighter [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaq_Fu]. If I had to choose a second, I'd pick divorce, but somehow videogames with both of these basic concepts have been developed, with the latter recently launching in Australia.
The Australian government has created a videogame that is designed to help kids understand and cope with the divorce of their parents. In tandem with a book, the game is said to answer questions that kids might have over the heartbreaking situation.
There's no special pre-order bonus for this one, so don't feel like you have to rush out to the store to pickup a copy. The game is designed for kids under 12 and is available from Australia's Department of Human Services for free.
Human Services Minister Tanya Plibersek says the game "provides an opportunity for parents to sit with children and go through the games and go through the activity book and have the discussions that are naturally prompted by doing these activities." Exactly what kids do in the game wasn't revealed.
Videogames have been proven as a great method to teach kids or get them interested in something, but this divorce game make me feel uncomfortable. Are there actual goals? Is the music depressing? Does it point out that sometimes videogames themselves cause divorce [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/101796-Divorce-Lawyers-Use-WoW-FarmVille-Facebook-in-Court]? Someone get their hands on it and let us know, please.
Source: Develop [http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/11/09/3061498.htm]
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