Gaming the Real World

Could video games be a catalyst for real-world change? As urban areas grapple with challenges brought on by population booms and intensified urbanization, the potential of video games to empower residents—especially younger generations—to engage in city planning and improvement becomes a compelling question. Today, entire cities and public spaces are being envisioned, planned, and experienced through the lens of gaming. This movement towards ‘civic gamification’ is democratizing city architecture and urban planning processes, making cities the epicenter of digital innovation. Discussion about the future of our cities has now taken the online world by storm. The documentary showcases three game companies exploring this frontier where urban design meets gaming: Mojang, the powerhouse behind Minecraft, Paradox Interactive with their game Cities: Skylines, and indie developer José Sanches with Block’hood. Witness how our urban landscapes might transform over the next 20 to 100 years. You can watch ‘Gaming the Real World (2016)’ streaming online for free here. Platforms like Soap2day and 123Movies make it easy to access this intriguing documentary.