BIOGRAPHY

Benjamin Stokes is Co-founder and Co-director of Games for Change (G4C), the national umbrella organization supporting and advancing social change through digital games. Previously, Benjamin was the Architect for Global Citizenship Education Online at NetAid, where he trained high school students to reach 150,000 of their peers in the fight on global poverty. Benjamin has also managed and studied the United Nations and NetAid's joint online volunteering service. Before NetAid, Benjamin produced research tools and virtual fieldtrips for the more than 43,000 high schools served by Bigchalk/ProQuest publishers. At the CREA House, Benjamin helped develop a living wage standard for the U.S.-Mexico border region. Benjamin has studied in Senegal and organized with the US anti-sweatshop student alliance.

ABSTRACT

Games & Civic Literacy

Although volunteering is on the rise for US youth, civic participation is at an all- time low. Can games help? Over the past year, each of our discussants has hosted a broad call for games that build civic literacy. At USC the focus was on public diplomacy, while Games for Change focused on deliberate social change. After reviewing the submissions, what was learned? We'll consider identity construction, studying abroad online, worldview framing a la George Lakoff, an experiential doorknocking simulator -- all in an interactive discussion with audience members.