Solving world hunger

Solving world hunger used to be tough. For the last few years, when people asked me what I did, my glib answer would be "solving world hunger, one company at a time". It was meant to be a comment on how complex my work is, and how seemingly impossible my targets. Now, I stand corrected. The nice people at the World Food Program have turned world hunger solving into a game. Officially, therefore, my job is more difficult now.

Try the game once: The game can be downloaded from http://food-force.com . Its designed to teach kids (and adults) about the issues involved in solving world hunger, and how the WFP goes about tacking each of these key issues. The games are designed like regular games, and the moral of the story is introduced through the storyline and in the instructions. I tried the game yesterday with my 9 year old son, and I was impressed with my son's grasp of the core issues.

Game based learning comes of age. I'm convinced that our educational systems are due for an overhaul. We're not leveraging games enough in schools or in corporates like the company I work for. Games have several advantages over other means of learning. Here's how I think my company can gain from using games to teach new skills and behaviors:

• they're a safe environment - and therefore promote learning in a risk-free setup
• they create scale - people learn on their own time at a fraction of the price of a classroom session
• the story-telling style involves the learner completely and keeps the interest alive continuously
  
• the interactive process allows people to learn better (called constructivism)

If its good for Uncle Sam...Check out the American Army game to see how the US Army uses games to educate and attract new recruits. In fact, there are several simulations and games that are sponsored by Uncle Sam or are about the US political system.

Expect to read more from me about this in future posts. Do write back if you find this subject interesting.