The game that I plan on making tackles the issue of most Egyptian athletes (not football players). Every now and then a case about a player who was not supported by their federation pops up. Many athletes in different sports end up quitting or acquiring another nationality to receive the financial support they need. The game that I will make will put the user in a position where they will have to take decisions as if they were those athletes. Quit or try harder? Play under another country’s name or stick to being Egyptian? I will use data from social media, news, and my partner Amena Ebeid who knows a lot about such cases being an athlete herself.

I believe that “spend” was the most challenging and creative “choose your own path” among the games I played. I like how the every part is constructed with detailed figures , which made it feel realistic for me as a user. However, the decisions were limited. In many instances I had other solutions than the ones already provided by the game.

At the end of the day, I can say that the game helps the user appreciate a lot of things that are usually taken for granted because of how small they might seem , when in fact they can make a huge difference in the lives of others.

The choose your own path Syrian refugees game was another interesting game to play. The game is about  the Syrians who had to leave their land and what decisions would you make if you had to be in their position. It is good to have such game since it might make people empathize with Syrians, but I believe the game was too simplistic and the choices lead to very limited paths.

One of the most interesting “choose your own path” games that I have played is the Depression Quest. It’s a game where you put yourself in the shoes of a depressed person and make daily life decisions. I loved how well-constructed the situations were, they make you relate so well if you have been there before. If you haven’t, the details will bring you so close to being inside the shoes of a depression victim and how they think. Unlike the rest of the games, depression quest has a set of rules and boundaries to cross out the options/ solutions that a non-depressed person would have taken. What I found surprising about the game, is that even though it is supposed to feel depressing, but in some  situations through the game I felt better to know that I am not the only one who could possibly feel this way.

The only thing I did not like about the game is that if it falls in the hands of a depressed person it might make them feel even worse.

This part reminded me that we all have a little bias within us no matter how hard we try not to be.  Consequently, it reminded me to consider that I might be biased every time I am in situation where I have to make a choice,judge someone or something. Good news is that once you are made aware of your bias you can act accordingly to improve it.

The other part about empathy was mind blowing. The part that helped me learn the most was the digital narrative games, specifically the “spent” game. Being able to actually make decisions and put yourself in someone else’s shoes is such a creative way of conveying the message behind the material compared to simply lecturing.

Spotting the difference between the two terms can be confusing since they might seem related. However, it came clear after some research that they are not the same.

Digital skills are the ability to use different technologies from a technical perspective. In other words, it’s knowing how to apply the a task the way it should be applied like knowing how to send an email , how to create a blog , or how to tweet.

While on the other hand digital literacies focus more on the content, what is “delivered” by the skill and how to evaluate it.

You can send an email and navigate through twitter and facebook that’s a skill, but can you do it safely? Can you spot if there is a bias in a post or a tweet? Can you tell if the source you got from a google search is reliable? That requires literacy.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton