Come see SEEDS at the USC Stevens Student Innovator Showcase
Friday Oct. 23
11 - 2pm
VonKleinsmid Courtyard
Synopsis:
Seeds is a thought-provoking, interactive experience that positions players at the center of bio-ethical debate. Part serialized medical drama, part online social game, Seeds prompts and often challenges players to assess their own beliefs to determine an ethical, moral and compassionate solution. Through engaging role-play in which players treat and diagnose infertility using cutting-edge and controversial technologies, players learn of how each decision shapes their world and the fate of characters in it.
Social Impact:
Should individuals create Life from the DNA of a deceased partner? Should there be a limit placed on how many fetuses a woman carries in her womb? Should parents interfere with their child's genetics before he or she is born? Who has authority to make these decisions--science, individuals or the government? The social ramifications of the true stories showcased in SEEDS is what makes this experience so compelling. The challenging nature of the subject matter also presents an opportunity for innovative treatment of agency and decision-making in games. Seeds leverages role-play in order to explore collective ethical decision-making and the undeniable effects of groups, culture, and media on ethics. The underlying system developed for this project may further be used to model ethical decision making in many different arenas.