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Two major hardware releases that have recently promised to radically change the game market are the PlayStation Move and the Xbox Kinect. Each of these devices offers a high degree of interactive gaming, but in different ways (we have both set up in competing rooms here at ESI!).

The PlayStation Move is not, as naysayers profess, a glorified Wii-mote. The integration of a camera and sophisticated onboard sensors allow for very accurate motion detection, as well as an augmented reality view of the players. Kids seem to love it. I watched my 8-year-old cousin play Start the Party on her PlayStation 3 and she giggled with delight at seeing herself holding the objects used in the game (such as a mallet, a fly swatter and a flashlight). Interestingly enough, she never had to ask how to play – the system immediately engaged her with games that were obvious and intuitive. The accuracy of the motion sensors during more complex activities, such as Table Tennis, is also yet unmatched by any other simulation.

The Xbox Kinect offers a departure from the controller entirely and feels a bit like magic. The experience is unlike any other in all of gaming and cannot be compared to the Move, the Wii or any other motion-based device. One of the major advantages of Kinect is that the player uses his or her entire body to control the game. Players can simply walk into the play space and immediately take control without a complicated setup.

Karen and I attended the Games for Change festival in New York City. Building on Karen's takeaways, I hereby submit my own five:

A GAME IS NOT A GAME IS NOT A GAME. The over-generalization of gaming is detrimental to communicating the value and potential for creating change. Some games, such as chess or basketball, have already stimulated change in the world. Others, such as outdoor team-building games or Sudoku, have been studied for achieving positive goals such as character building and memory retention. To be a good game designer or educator who wants to use games for learning, we need to understand the range of what exists and not oversimplify.

TESTING AND ITERATION. Children sometimes make incorrect conclusions based on their observations about the world, which are then corrected through proper schooling. When creating simulations that stimulate learning we must test often to ensure that we are not facilitating another misunderstanding.

NPG - NATIONAL PUBLIC GAMING. Similar to radio and television before it, gaming has the potential but not recognition for creating positive change in the world. The budgets of major game creators far exceed that of educators or grantees that hope to create a comparable product. The time is right to establish a group that recognizes the transformative potential of gaming and can solicit the funding required to compete with for-profit organizations.