'PeaceMaker' allows you to play the part of the Israeli prime minister or the Palestinian president and make diplomatic, security and economic decisions.
JERUSALEM: Many have tried. All have failed. But with a new computer game, you can make peace in the West Asia. The software, called PeaceMaker and manufactured by Israeli and US programmers in the United States, allows you to play the part of the Israeli prime minister or the Palestinian president and make diplomatic, security and economic decisions.
The interface shows a map of Israel and the Palestinian territories. Windows pop up periodically, presenting a picture or video of a scenario, such as a Palestinian suicide bombing or an Israeli air strike, likely to trigger a response. As in real life, each move leads to a reaction by a party to the conflict or within the international community. The goal of the peacemaker is to reach compromises and eventually a peace agreement, leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
“The secret is to opt for the middle route, to walk between the drops and not make radical decisions,” said one of the developers, Israeli native Asi Burak. “You have to know when to ignore things and when to respond.”
Burak and Eric Brown created the game as a project during their time at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, which has since used it in its courses. They began selling it online this year under their label ImpactGames. “We tried to answer all the things that we felt were critical — Palestinian refugees, Jerusalem, so that it would stay timeless,” Burak said. “We did not name names of leaders.” He said he and Brown consulted with Palestinian students as they were developing the game and also had Muslims and Jews, including Palestinians and Israelis, test it periodically.
If you play the game correctly, windows showing scenarios that indicate progress towards peace will appear. The PeaceMaker game is being sold on the company’s website for $20. It can be played in English, Hebrew or Arabic.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}