DOST-7 pushes educational games amid debate on violent mobile games

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Amid renewed public debate over the impact of violent mobile games following the Tacloban school shooting, the Department of Science and Technology Central Visayas (DOST-7) is encouraging young developers to create educational games that also address real-world issues instead of promoting violence.

During the media launch of the Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week (RSTW) on Thursday, July 2, DOST-7 announced that one of the event’s highlights will be the Game Development Challenge, where students will develop educational games centered on science, disaster preparedness, environmental awareness, and other community concerns.

When asked whether the competition would allow combat or killing games, DOST-7 Regional Director Dr. Tristan L. Abando said the agency is prioritizing educational games that provide solutions and promote learning.

“We need more on providing solutions through the form of games. It’s [also more about] making them aware of what are the intricacies — for example, disaster risk reduction, manufacturing, and other areas,” Abando said.

READ: DepEd reminds schools to impose gadget use ban during class hours

Educational games over violent games

Abando said DOST sees gamification as an effective way to make science and technology more engaging for young people while encouraging them to use their creativity to solve real-world problems.

“We hope that through gamifying, which is really the strategy that we are adopting right now, more young people can be engaged in solution development in different areas. We are going to develop solutions in the digital world that can become simulations guiding them in real-world applications,” he said.

Abando also addressed concerns about violent games, saying the issue cannot be addressed by the government alone but requires cooperation among parents, schools, policymakers, game developers, and technology companies.

“It would really take a whole-of-society approach. We also need to educate and get the commitment of our parents and guardians in terms of monitoring. We can also get the support of our developers and even social media companies so that we can control and monitor content that is not violent,” he said.

Rather than discouraging game development, Abando said DOST supports harnessing games as tools for education and innovation while ensuring proper safeguards are in place.

READ: Bam Aquino: Violent games used as ‘convenient scapegoat’ for school violence

“We also support Senator Bam Aquino, nga dili jud siya ingon nga total ban on games because there are really opportunities for e-sports and games, as long as we have proper safeguards through policy and monitoring. I think that’s what we really need right now,” he added.

The Game Development Challenge forms part of DOST-7’s broader effort to promote science, technology, and innovation among the youth during the Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week, which will run from July 13 to 15 and feature conferences, innovation exhibits, startup activities, and technology showcases open to the public.

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