Joseph DeLappe is most well known for his "Dead-in-Iraq" activism in the MMO "America’s Army." He’s been pissing off gamers for awhile now by going into the first-person-shooter and typing into open chat the names of all the service people killed in the line of duty in Iraq.
Now’s he’s on to bigger and better things: promoting an entire MMO on public diplomacy called "America’s Diplomat." Although I’ve been responsible for more than my share of spoof MMOs (Quaker, Shakespeare, etc.), I actually think this is a pretty cool idea.
Imagine a game where you learn the ins and outs of being a diplomat, negotiating foreign customs, laws, cultures, and mores as you try and broker a deal that benefits your home country. The tool of the trade are not BFGs or broadswords but instead are international law, economic power, military threat, and charisma.
Could be a nice way to train students of international affairs and diplomacy as well as a recruitment tool for those who are curious about the job opportunities in the foreign service.
Sure this is based on a fake New York Times article, but IMO it’s crazy enough to actually work.
SL MUN would cover that, no?
Shame it never got solid.
That’s certainly one way to do it. I like the idea of integrating actual video and texts of draft treaties and UN resolutions into the simulation.