Year Published: 2010
Game Developer: Tiza Papel Byte
Game Publisher: Tiza Papel Byte
Country of Origin: Argentina
Language: Spanish
Platform: Windows
Genre: Simulation
Subject: Social Studies
Age Range: 9-11, 11-13, 14-16
Villa Girondo is a small town in danger of being relocated due to the construction of a hydroelectric dam. Since not everybody is in favor of moving out, the town’s citizens must debate if they will obstruct the construction or accept the plan of creating a brand new town a few miles away.
The game works in a local network and assigns each player a hidden agenda: influencing their co-players and debating which outcome will benefit the largest amount of people. The main goal of Villa Girondo’s Future is to generate critical debate among students while revealing the complexities and variety of points of view in a democracy as well as within democratic decision-making. In addition to this, the game also reflects about the energy crisis and our relationship with the environment.
What is interesting about Villa Girondo’s Future is that the videogame is not the central part of the experience. Rather, it helps to support and encourage the face- to- face interactions. The creators did not attempt to enclose the whole experience inside the computer, but instead created a game where the software is just a tool to enhance the face- to-face discussions.