In "Gamers with Heart" (LJ 11/15/09), I cited instances of gamers working toward a common charitable cause. Here, I focus on games specifically designed to incite action and raise social awareness.

The free browser game Darfur Is Dying (www.darfurisdying.com), released in 2006, is one of the more widely recognized entries in the "serious games" movement.

Its players experience virtual challenges faced by the 2.5 million refugees in Sudan's Darfur region (e.g., getting water, trying to keep their camp functioning under threat of attack by Janjaweed militias). They learn about the genocide in Darfur and how to contribute to humanitarian aid efforts there.

The turn-based online game PeaceMaker (www.peacemakergame.com), released in 2007 and designed with the help of a former Israeli army captain, simulates the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and provides contextual news articles and videos.

While strategizing on ways of bringing peace to the Middle East, players gain a greater understanding of the complexities and perspectives of the conflict. (PeaceMaker can be downloaded or purchased on CD for $19.95.)

In 2007, World Without Oil (www.worldwithoutoil.com) became the first- ever alternative reality game (ARG) to incite international participation around a significant social issue, as players imagined the first 32 weeks of a global oil crisis.

By the conclusion of the game's 32-day run, some 1900 players had participated to conceptualize ways to cope with changing conditions created by rapidly escalating oil prices. (Free access to the resulting user-generated media, lesson plans, and more is available through the web site.)

While World Without Oil is a game that anticipates a future reality, other serious games draw their inspiration from recent historical events.

Orange Revolution (www.tigweb.org/games/orange), for example, is a simulation game guiding players through the events of the Orange Revolution of 2004 in Ukraine. Hurricane Katrina: Tempest in Crescent City (tempestincrescentcity.ning.com/game) puts players in the shoes of those everyday citizens who became heroes during the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

Developing gaming programs that tap into big-picture issues like poverty, human rights, global conflict, and climate change should be a natural fit for libraries.

Enlist serious games to spark discussions and debate. Consider drafting special programming for gaming patrons around commemorative dates and events.

April 22, 2010, is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Have your gamers plan a green city via National Geographic's Plan It Green (www.nationalgeographic.com/plan-it-green). The cost is $19.95 to download, with an hour playable for free.

You could also introduce them to the virtual world of Elf Island (www.elfisland.com/gamingforgood.php), which translates game play into real-world results. When players plant trees on Elf Island, real trees get planted in Niger. Players can also choose to build houses in Honduras or protect polar bears in the Arctic.

For World Food Day (October 16), consider engaging players in the online vocabulary game Free Rice (www.freerice.com). For every correct answer, ten grains of rice get donated to the UN World Food Program to help end world hunger.

These and other serious games will engage the activists among your patrons, and you should use them to support your gaming programs. But don't overlook the potential of ordinary commercial games to do the same. Playing of Batman: Arkham Asylum (www.batmanarkhamasylum.com), for example, could be organized in tandem with a book display and after-game discussion on the sometimes dark history of mental-health care.

To learn more about serious games, visit Games for Change at gamesforchange.org, which features a list of audio, video, print, and online resources, and read Jeff Cobb's roster of "26 Learning Games To Change the World" at www.missiontolearn.com.