When I think of gaming, visions of fast cars, lost of violence and scantily clad women pop into my head. Well, that was until I participated in the Games for Change conference taking place at the New School in New York City this week.

There is such an amazing community of gamers who want to create and want to play games that have a social message. I’ll post video highlights from the panels in the next few days and in the meantime, here are 10 amazing games that were highlighted at the conference:

1) PeaceMaker
PeaceMaker is inspired by real events in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It challenges players to succeed as a leader where others have failed: bringing peace to the Middle-East. Playing both perspectives, players could experience the joy of winning the Nobel Prize or the agony of plunging the region into disaster. Play now!

2) ICED! I Can End Deportation
“ICED! I Can End Deportation” is an online interactive 3D Role Playing Game that teaches the player about the current U.S. policies around immigration that destroy families and fundamental human rights. Play now!

3) Free Rice
Free rice is a free online vocabulary gain that donates 20 grains of rice to the World Food Programme (WFP) for every correct answer. WFP distributes the rice to hungry people all over the world. Play now!

4) World Without Oil
World Without Oil is a serious game for the public good. Asking “what if?”, WWO invited people to contribute “collective imagination” to confront our society’s oil addiction, by creating videos and blogs that chronicled their life in a global oil shortage. The idea: “Play it before you live it.” Play now!

5) Ayiti: The Cost of Life
Ayiti: The Cost of Life is a game that challenges its players to manage a rural family of five in Haiti over four years and keep them healthy, get them educated, and help them survive. Develop in a unique partnership between youth in an after school program and a professional game developer, the game has been played over a half million times since its launch six months ago and has proven to be a hit as both an engaging game and as a tool for education. Play now!

6) Play the News
An engaging, community-driven experience - imagine fantasy sports meets the evening news. Play the News is a web-based platform that changes the paradigm of news consumption from passive reading to active engagement. Play now!

7) Darfur is Dying
Darfur is Dying is a web-based, viral video game that provides a window into the experience of the 2.5 million refugees in the Darfur region of Sudan. It is designed to raise awareness of the genocide taking place in Darfur and empower college students to help stop the crisis. Play now!

8 ) 3rd World Farmer
3rd World Farmer lets players manage a small farm in a developing country, and thus experience the hardships and dilemmas faced by the poor. Play now!

9) City Rain (Imagine Cup Finalist)
With a strong environmental focus, City Rain is a game that can be used to teach the players how to build a sustainable city. The player must think of how to build a prosperous and be environmentally responsible city at same time. Play now!

10) Orange Revolution
A simulation guiding players through the events of the Orange Revolution of 2004 in Ukraine, through the eyes of the two main presidential candidates. Players must come secure democratic reform without violence. Play now!

takepart with Games for Change!

Related:

• Imagine Cup Finals
• Serious Games
• Games for Health