A Force More Powerful

Several short posts today from me, as I catch up on my reading after a few days out of the office...

Click on the title of this post to see a column by Fortune's David Kirkpatrick about a new-style video game in development from a company called BreakAway Games. The game is called "A Force More Powerful," and, presumably, the "force" is violence.

I'm not a gamer - I lost patience years ago trying to play "The Sims" - but this one interests me. It's non-violent, but it deals with ways to combat evil political or military leadership. Here's Kirkpatrick's summary:

"[The game] attempts to replicate the complexity of issues facing would-be activists going up against a repressive regime. [According to the game's creator], it aims 'to help people make and refine strategies to change their own societies.' To achieve this immodest goal, it simulates 10 different 'scenarios.' The player's goal can be anything from protesting an environmental disaster to overthrowing a regime. The player is a nonviolent strategist, controlling 'the movement' as it faces its adversary, 'the regime. A special feature enables players to import information from other sources, including maps, and details of a city's infrastructure, to give it more of a real-life feel."