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Lori Shyba is a videogame designer with a social purpose. Her time in the U of C’s
Interdisciplinary Graduate Program is allowing her to explore videogames as a
medium for people to rehearse reality without the risks and dangers they might
encounter in real life.
Over the course of her PhD work, Shyba has worked with Calgary organizations to help
solve real-world problems through fun and interesting games. For example, “The Booze
Cruise: A Driving Game with a Serious Drinking Problem” was developed in conjunction
with the Calgary Police Service to allow people to experience the effects of driving drunk.
The scoring system was written so you get demerits for making bad choices – like failing
to stop at the checkstop. It’s entertainment that conveys real-life consequences in an
effort to change real-life behaviour.
“I believe experiential learning is a critical symmetry in our education,” says Shyba.
“Like games, it brings together learning and doing that allows us to experiment,
collaborate, and go with the flow of knowledge building.
“Working with the police as part of the team, along with classmates and our professor,
allowed us to create something really new that wouldn’t have been as strong if I’d just
been working on my own,” says Shyba. “Together we were able to put theory into action
to show that games can create societal change.”
“There are a lot of people not engaged in social issues that impact our lives,” says
Shyba. “I believe games can engage people using this less traditional medium. These
games can illustrate complex situations and allow people to try different solutions
without dire consequences. They can help people become informed and bring them back
into important discussions that affect the world around them.
“By definition, playing should absolutely be a fun experience. But as people play, they
often find themselves in an inner dialogue about ways they might consider changing how
they live their lives. If I can make that happen, I’ll be very satisfied.” To experience
Shyba’s work: www.sundialmedia.com
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