SPEAKER 0
Next up, we have uh Brandon Justice Department of Psychology and Brandon's presentation is titled Games an untapped resource for improving group relations.

SPEAKER 1
Hello, everyone. It is a pleasure to be here. I'd like to start off with a fun scenario. I would like you to consider the people to your right and left as your venturing group. And we're going to explore a dangerous castle in the image seen here. You and your party arrive in an old and forgotten castle with the quest to retrieve the answer key to the exam next week from the evil Lord professor. As your party approaches, the wind begins howling like a pack of wolves on the hunt and a party member hears heavy yet soft footsteps approaching from behind. What does your party do? What do you do? This scenario is similar to the narrative tabletop game dungeons and dragons and some of you might have found it fun and exciting. However, let me ask you a question. Did you care if the person next to you was similar in race or status or did you just wanna play the game in general? Games are a fun and motivating pastime that many individuals or groups are taken and games can be portrayed in various media such as video games, board games, computer games, et cetera. Looking at the research, we know that games have been used to investigate different psychological themes, mental health learning and motivation to name a few. The research on games being successful interventions on group relations is scarce but there are some articles with positive outcomes on group relations and the cooper operation between groups. However, many of the authors have indicated knowledge gaps within the research, including the type of games, the genres and the platforms best used to improve relationships between groups. This knowledge gap has led me to develop my research questions for my thesis and I have 21 how games been used to investigate group relations? And two, is there a difference between digital and physical games in fostering group relations in broad terms? I wanna know how games have been used to promote the relationships between and within a group. And if the choice of media such as playing a game online or in person influences these results differently, while my project is still in the early stages, the results will provide some clarification on the importance of games as an intervention and it could potentially be used in community outreach programs in the future. If I have to leave one thought or message from my presentation today, it would be this at this time when the world is fought with conflict, disagreements and misunderstandings. Let's explore the power of games and see how can bring people together for a more accepting, empathetic and peaceful world. So I'll ask you again, what does your party do? What do you do? Thank you very much for your time.