Under the Influence? Measuring the Effectiveness of Persuasive Games

Thanks to the maturation of the Internet as a game distribution platform and the development of a new generation of low-cost, easy-to-use game development tools, videogames are being used increasingly often for serious goals such as raising awareness, changing attitudes and motivating behavioural change. But little empirical research has been done as to the effectiveness of these persuasive videogames. The videogame Homeless: It''s No Game was developed to determine whether people could be persuaded to become more sympathetic to the plight of the homeless by playing the role of a homeless woman in a videogame and whether this persuasive effect could be measured. The results of the research were promising, and indicated that persuasive games can have an effect, especially if participants considered the game to be realistic.