[url=][/url][url=][/url]Occasionally I have stumbled on a game which clearly designed to draw attention to an issue or to provoke discussion.

Some are good games as the activist aspect is subtle like Balance of Planet or Hidden Agenda

www.mobygames.com/game/balance-of-the-planet

Others are less games and more like interactive advertisements and the activist aspect is more heavy handed like SPENT

www.playspent.org

What are your thoughts about Activism in Gaming? Do you think it is a good thing we should see more of? Or do you think that developers should stick to entertainment and stay off the soap box?

Also if you know of any good activist games, what are they?

Well, if you believe that games are art/expression, then they should represent varying facets of human experience. In other words, sure. I can't say that'd I'd play that game, but I wouldn't sneer if one were made. A high-profile activist game would surely stir things up and make for some interest discussions.

As far as your second question, no, I can't say that I do know of any. Well, aside from the "protect planet earth" trope, but that seems fairly inoffensive.

Generally this, but that's because I would probably end up disagreeing with the "message" (if there's a story), or the "message" would probably not take into account the complexities of the real world. Spec Ops: The Line seems to mean well with an "anti-hero" message, but it has been taken by people to be highly anti-military, anti-America, and some seem to have been relishing in that. (I think it was Zero Punctuation's video that kinda rubbed me the wrong way on it.)

On the other hand, I have fantasized about making a game where the main character (a superhero) frees people from tyranny in parts of Africa. He has the ability to knock out soldiers against him rather than killing them. (So basically Superman ... but in Africa.)