George Mason University students developing games to combat gang recruitment

Students at George Mason University's game design program are teaming up with the Virginia attorney general's office to develop three titles designed to reduce gang recruitment among teens.

Students at George Mason University's game design program are teaming up with the Virginia attorney general's office to develop three titles designed to reduce gang recruitment among teens.

The games, which have been in development since January, present their players with different gang-related scenarios middle school and high school students might encounter. The attorney general's office consulted on each of the three games, sharing its knowledge of gang recruitment tactics in the area.

"The goal of this partnership with GMU is a novel approach in the war against gangs to beat them at their own game," Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli said. "These mobile games serve as a cutting-edge educational tool to teach kids that if they join gangs, there are no winners: Ending up in the hospital, jail, or the morgue means game over."

The three games, titled "Influenced," "New Kid on the Block," and "A Second Family" will be available to download on the attorney general's site this summer. You can check out all three in the demo reel below.