I thought this was a really interesting example of mindful parenting. An article from insidetoronto.com tells the story of parents who stipulated that their 13 year old Even Spenser read the Geneva Conventions (and abide by them) in order to play Call of Duty 4: Worlds at War with his friends.
While the game doesn't really allows players to follow the conventions it is an intriguing example of parents opening up a dialogue with their child on a very complex subject matter. This is a great example of design thinking by the Spenser's, avoiding either/or logic (you can't play at all) and designing new solutions to a complex parenting challenge.
I wonder why none of the popular war games includes realistic representations of the Geneva Conventions as part of the simulated gaming experience?
It's nice to see something that goes a bit further than the Ten Commandments to help young people understand standards for ethical behavior.
Posted by: hillaryca | August 13, 2009 at 01:30 PM