New generation of video games takes on serious subjects

No longer just entertainment, advanced technology is being used in games that do everything from teach children about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to help war veterans cope with post-traumatic stress syndrome. For lack of a better descriptor, they've been dubbed "serious games." Like "Re-Mission," they're designed to entertain players, but they're also meant to teach, train and inform them.

"(Video games) are a little bit like documentary films were in say the '60s or '70s," says Suzanne Seggerman, co-founder of Games for Change, a support organization in New York for makers of video games dealing with social issues. "Film had been a popular medium for a long, long time, (but) it took quite a while for it to mature enough to sustain real-world content. Games are at the same place now. They're being used for more serious purposes."