Beyond the Xbox, Wii and PlayStation

Despite my best efforts, I realize that I am becoming an old fogy. And, as an old fogy, I want to comment on what those meddling kids are up to these days. Actually, I want to pass along information on a great example of a project designed to get kids interacting with technology. And by interacting, I don't mean playing video games. I mean making games. At left are some of the budding young game developers behind Hurricane Katrina: Tempest in Crescent City.

The game puts you in the shoes of Vivica Waters, a young girl from New Orleans who is forced to leave the city after Hurricane Katrina hits (the game has been released to coincide with the third anniversary of the storm -- August 29, 2005). Vivica moves to New York City. The game is essentially a dream that Vivica is having. She's been separated from her mother in the wake of the hurricane. She must find her mother, and, along the way, rescue trapped and injured survivors.

The release of the game is made even more timely and relevant as Gustav bears down on the Gulf, and New Orleans residents ready themselves yet again.

Tempest in Crescent City an excellent example of persuasive gaming -- games that are designed to be fun and challenging to play, while at the same time putting anyone who plays it in someone else's shoes. In other words, gulp, a game that's educational,that has a purpose.

The young people behind Tempest in Crescent City are part of something called Global Kids, a New York based nonprofit dedicated to educating urban youth about civic engagement and international affairs.

The first I came across the group was when I attended a showcase in New York City a few years back. The kids had just developed a game called Ayiti: The Cost of Life, which is meant to educate kids about the obstacles young people around the world face in getting an education. Ayiti's been played more than a million times by kids around the world, according to Global Kids.

Tempest in Crescent City is the second game developed by Global Kids, who worked in conjunction with an online gaming outfit called Game Pill, and with funding from Microsoft and AMD. I leave with you this great little video which takes you behind the scenes in the making of the game: