Can game developers improve mankind?

There's no denying it: games developers are on the who better at devising accessible UIs than those programming a bank's ATM. And early online games help set a template for virtual worlds and social networks.

With that in mind, our executive editor Owain Bennallack this month asks a thought-provoking question: are video games the ultimate end to progress? And what impact could designers have on the future of humanity?

In the opinion piece, he asserts: "Game developers – or the lessons of games design – will enable more change. Quite possibly, game developers have spent 30 years learning how to build not today’s fantasies but tomorrow’s realities."

Of course, such responsibility comes with a downside, says Bennallack: "If you’re thinking that’ll sound good on your CV, be warned you might also be responsible for the fall of humanity."

Click here to read the full thing.