Samit Sarkar, Polygon

Xi’an Technological University students spent two months at the Foxconn plant in Yantai, China, for a work-study program that ran from August to this week. Students from the program told Dongfang Daily that the internship was mandatory — their diploma would be withheld if they didn’t participate, and if they attempted to drop out of the program early, they would lose six credits’ worth of courses. The students also said they were given tasks outside of their areas of study, and sometimes performed manual labor.

I blame binge-watching.

Polygon

“A video game has to have not only an entertainment value, but it also has to teach and be conducive to patriotic education,” Arseny Mironov, an aide to Russian culture minister Vladimir Medinsky, who heads the Russian Military History Society, told the Russian newspaper Izvestiya.

Interested to see how this pans out. Propaganda or educational?

Brian Crecente, Polygon:

Last summer, the International Review of the Red Cross published an article that more deeply examined the issue. The takeaway was that video games are an important method for disseminating information and that they can be used to raise awareness of war crimes, but often don’t reflect the realities of war.

International Humanitarian Law sounds like an interesting game mechanic

TED

When game designer Jane McGonigal found herself bedridden and suicidal following a severe concussion, she had a fascinating idea for how to get better. She dove into the scientific research and created the healing game, SuperBetter. In this moving talk, McGonigal explains how a game can boost resilience — and promises to add 7.5 minutes to your life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfBpsV1Hwqs

Less about games. More about gamification. All about health.

Thanks to @limshadey for the tip!

IGN

AAA’s show big growth on the digital storefront