So Gamasutra just posted a summary of a talk Chaim gave at the Dutch Festival of Games, called “Magic Crayons: Spore and Beyond.” This is actually a reprise and probably an update of a talk he gave at GDC 2007. Most of what is in there is great, but I always get bothered by sentiments like this one:

In the end, Gingold says that he believes computers can ease “this anxiety and alienation that we have from doing one thing.” Even though people become experts at their trade, “we can design houses, human beings, pinball sets,” he said.

See, I don’t want to make games that ease alienation from labor. That just makes it easier for people to accept alienation. I want to make games that end alienation from labor. Games that inspire people to learn new things, to make positive changes in their lives, to learn about themselves in the process of interacting with systems.

Of course, I have no idea how to do any of this. But hey, the first step is admitting there’s a problem.