Feature: 'Taking A Look At A Force More Powerful'

In the first of two Serious Games-related features for today, Rusel DeMaria writes up his impressions of A Force More Powerful, arguably one of the most intriguing products at the 2005 Serious Games Summit. The product was conceived and executed by a group that includes the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC), documentary filmmakers York-Zimmerman and Breakaway Games, Ltd, and, as DeMaria explains: "Inspired by the York-Zimmerman documentary of the same name, which was aired on PBS in 2000 and narrated by Ben Kingsley, the game is a turn-based strategy game that currently consists of ten pre-built scenarios and an editing system that will allow players to create scenarios of their own. Behind the game is a wealth of real-world and theoretical experience on the subject of nonviolent conflict, including Dr. Peter Ackerman, chairman of the ICNC and Ivan Marovic of Otpor, the Serbian resistance movement that played a critical role in the ousting of Slobodan Milosevic. The project supervisor is Steve York, who created the original documentary." You can now read the full Gamasutra feature on the subject, including further impressions of the unique 'serious game' (no registration required, please feel free to link to the article from external websites).