GQ_South_Africa_2017

48 GQ.CO.ZA OCTOBER 2017

essentials

T

he world is woke. Millennials

and the Gen Zs that follow

are bringing about a new

era of social responsibility, and

with it, new standards of business

ethics. Clients and consumers

expect accountability, and thriving

in business requires investing in

social change through authentic

engagement. Serious games (yup,

they’re an actual thing) are one way

of doing this – we spoke to local

experts to fi nd out more.

WHAT ARE SERIOUS GAMES?

‘Serious games are still recognisable as

video games, but they differ from other

games in that they are not made solely

for entertainment or for fi nancial gain. The

intention of serious games, in contrast, is

to educate; to generate academic data

(such as scientifi c or medical information);

to enact social change by enabling

attitude, perception and behaviour

modifi cation; and/or to assist with

physical or psychological rehabilitation.’

• Nicholas Hall, Interactive Entertainment
  South Africa, CEO, lawyer, and game
  industry development lobbyist

WHY DO YOU THINK SERIOUS GAMES

ARE EFFECTIVE FORMS OF BRAND

AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT?

‘In the South African context, a company

can’t just exist solely to make a profi t.

Serious games present a very novel

opportunity to develop products that are

aligned with a social good but also spread

brand awareness for the agency creating

the game.’ – Shane Marks, MD at

RenderHeads, expert in managing and

programming serious games for the

museum industry

WHERE DO YOU THINK SERIOUS

GAMES ARE GOING IN SOUTH AFRICA?

‘Serious games are rarely profi table, so

they need strong funding, marketing and

support. If South Africa drives education

via serious games as a policy to reach

our population that’s underserved by the

traditional education model, perhaps

we’d be able to produce enough serious

games to create a viable ecosystem.’

• Danny Day, game designer, CEO,
  specialist in systems design of learning
  for QCF Design

ARE SERIOUS GAMES SOMETHING

THAT ONLY MAKES SENSE FOR

BIGGER BUSINESSES?

‘Absolutely not. Serious games can

be used by high schools, by smaller

companies to train their teams and upskill

staff in needed soft skills, or by local

governments to teach citizens how to save

water... the question is the development

budget.’ – Lars Espeter, course manager,

Friends of Design - Academy of Digital

Arts, Cape Town

BOOKS

Words by Cayleigh Bright

HOME AND AWAY

Three very different books

take a look at relevant-right-

now issues through the lens

of personal stories – all of

them touring through time

and place

THE ESSAYS

Firepool by Hedley

Twidle (Kwela Books,

R250 at loot.co.za)

In his debut essay

collection, Hedley

Twidl e p re se nt s

critique through

nostalgia: his warmest

memories are funny

and entertaining, but

ultimately offer a look

at how memory should be a starting point

for change, not stagnation. From the

everyday bigotry of an all-boys boarding

school to the UCT steps during

#FeesMustFall, the scenes are set for fresh

thought about South Africa’s transformation.

THE THEMED

COLLECTION

Migrations: New

Short Fiction From

Africa edited by

Efemia Chela,

Bongani Kona &

Helen Moffett

(Short Story Day,

R179 at loot.co.za)

The Short Story Day

project continues with more excellent

fi ction from a continent with plenty to tell.

Contributing writers like Fred Khumalo,

Sibongile Fisher and Megan Ross address

internationally relevant issues of movement

and belonging in the time of refugee crises.

THE NOVEL

The Wangs vs The

World by Jade

Chang (R199 at

takealot.com)

The story of a family,

a road trip, a lost

fortune and plenty

of questions about

‘home’, The Wangs

vs The World is as

funny as it is smart.

For generations who have grown up in the

midst of a fi nancial crisis and quick-shifting

politics displacing many without ceremony,

it’s also highly relatable.

Games are far more than play –

they can enact social change

LET’S GET

SERIOUS

Words by Aléz Odendaal

GAMES