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.
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