Water Cooler Games
Water Cooler Games served as the web's primary forum for "videogames with an agenda" — coverage of the uses of video games in advertising, politics, education, and other everyday activities, outside the sphere of entertainment.
The site was maintained at watercoolergames.org from 2003-2009, where it was edited by myself and Gonzalo Frasca. It is now archived here in full.
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Teenage Mum, the game
by Ian Bogost March 23, 2005
categories:
Game Design
, Health & Medicine Games
Take a look at this TV spot for Teenage Mum created by the Belgian public health department to encourage contraceptive use and raise awareness about teenage pregnancy. It's really just a PSA (created by Belgian agency Duval Guillaume) advertising a fictitious game, but the fictitious game's design is just brilliant.
The player is invited to change diapers around the clock, study while your baby cries, and manage your relationship with friends while looking after your kid. What I love about this spot is that it completely nails what would go into a design for a teenage pregnancy game -- balancing life needs and wants with the responsibility of a baby. (thanks to Peter, via Games for Health)
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