Germany promotes 'Serious Games' for civic education

Germany is witnessing a growing trend in 'Serious Games,' a category of video games designed to impart educational value and strengthen competencies such as democratic understanding. These games are increasingly being presented and utilized at events like Gamescom, aiming to engage players with important societal issues in an interactive format.

One such game, 'Soko 1977,' was recently showcased at Gamescom. This role-playing game is set in the 1970s and simulates a special commission investigating a left-wing extremist terror cell, aiming to prevent an attack. Developed with funding from the Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb), the game cost 400,000 euros and seeks to inform players about historical terrorism while entertaining them.

Felix Zimmermann of the bpb emphasized the games' potential to initiate conversations about complex topics. "We want to reach people who use games in their free time: The game should entertain, but also inform in a well-founded way about a topic that has never been addressed in games," he stated. This approach seeks to engage audiences who might not typically seek out traditional educational materials.

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We want to reach people who use games in their free time: The game should entertain, but also inform in a well-founded way about a topic that has never been addressed in games.

Another example highlighted is 'Wer ist Bilal?', developed by the same studio, Paintbucket Games. This game, funded by state resources from North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), addresses the dangers of Islamism. NRW Media Minister Nathanael Liminski (CDU) supports such initiatives, stating, "If you want to take young people seriously and raise their awareness of topics like disinformation and extremism, you have to meet them where they get their information and orientation." The game has seen significant downloads and website clicks, indicating a reach within its target demographic.

While the educational intent is clear, a critical point remains whether these games effectively reach individuals with weaker democratic understanding or primarily engage those already interested. The success of 'Wer ist Bilal?', with around 50,000 downloads and over a million website clicks, is considered satisfactory by the ministry but modest compared to commercial games. The challenge lies in balancing engaging gameplay with substantive educational content to foster genuine understanding and awareness.

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If you want to take young people seriously and raise their awareness of topics like disinformation and extremism, you have to meet them where they get their information and orientation.