The World Bank backing Board Games to fight poverty

It may surprise some but I am a huge fan of board games, I feel that they can provide a great social event and some of the newer games produced over the last 10 years, are truly sublime.

However I did not expect to see the World bank trying to fight poverty by producing board games, especially commissioning a game around the subject of street addressing.

In November 2006, they called for game proposals on this topic: “Designing and Developing an Educational Game on Street Addressing.”

I wondered about the issues that the Bank were addressing, but after some reading and some thought realized that they are trying to get people to look at economic growth of poorer countries and address key issues which will affect growing business such as being able to have post/supplies delivered reliably and well you can work the rest out.

so my deepest congratulations and in fact my heartfelt thanks go out to the winners 1) I Need A Sign by Ariel Seoane from Uruguay, and 2) URBS & CIVITAS by John Baluci from USA

I think if I had known such a challenge had been put forward and the impact could be as great as it seems , I would have put a lot of effort into helping out. Maybe next time :)

if you would like to know more about the importance of street addressing the World Bank has produced a Report

b.

Technorati tags: World Bank, Board Games