The lion's share of game makers are long gone from middle school, so it can sometimes be hard for us to remember what games mean to children and how they influence youth culture.
At GDC 2014, well-known parenting educator and author Rosalind Wiseman teamed up with game industry personality Ashly Burch to deliver a thought-provoking session about the connection between games and social hierarchies among middle and high school boys.
The pair cite useful data and discuss how the games young people choose to play have an effect, not only on their social status amongst their peers, but how they act in moments of conflict.
It's a good talk that's worth watching, if only because it fosters a constructive and engaged discussion about addressing issues of aggression, racism, sexism and homophobia within games.
You can watch the free video of 'The Connection Between Boys' Social Status, Gaming and Conflict' (embedded above) here on the GDC Vault.
About the GDC Vault
In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.
Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Next already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.
Gamasutra and GDC are sibling organizations under parent UBM Tech