Video Games

What are video and computer games?

Video and computer games are played on game devices (such as Nintendo’s Wii, XBox, and Playstation), and computers. There are single player games, social (or multiplayer) games, and massively-multiplayer online games (MMO), where large numbers of participants play together over the Internet.

Unlike movies or television, when you play a video and computer game you become part of the action and determine what happens. You can learn by doing, and, in multiplayer and MMO games, by teaching others. Historically, most video games have focused on entertainment, but there are more and more educational games.

Video and computer games in response to HIV

• Address stigma around HIV.
• Deliver HIV prevention, testing, treatment, and research information.
• Raise awareness about HIV and spark discussion.
• Encourage safe behavior through in-game rewards and goals.

Examples from the Field

• The Kaiser Family Foundation and MTVU’s “Pos or Not” game
• National Institute on Drug Abuse’s “HIV/AIDS Maze” game
• Unicef’s “Voices for Youth” HIV/AIDS game