Head to San Francisco this week and you’ll hear about the hottest trends and news in video game platforms, graphics, and interaction design at the GDC, or Game Developers Conference.  Multimillion dollar developers preview long-awaited releases amidst indie developers pitching their ideas hoping to be the next hot WiiWare game at this  exciting event.  But what you probably won’t find amongst all the buzz are discussions about the social impacts of these new interactive technologies. For instance, what do you think about the Wii-mote extension that mimics a handgun and trigger for Nintendo shoot-em-up games?

I’ll keep this post short because I don’t want to sound like an old man, and don’t intend to spoil the fun and enjoyment this conference is all about.  I have not yet researched whether there are conferences dedicated to exploring the cultural implications of video games and their development, so I can’t claim that all developers are ignorant of these issues (though I doubt many people in the industry would find such a conference as exciting as GDC).

However, I’ve not yet heard of any emerging companies stepping up and acknowledging their role in shaping our collective futures.  I would really like to see a ‘green’ gaming company that markets itself as a company that spends significant time developing socially responsible games that can improve our world, rather than provide distractions from it.  I would also like to hear a story about a ‘green exec’ on the board of one of these huge gaming companies.  Does such a role exist?