PeaceMaker is a video game developed by ImpactGames, and published in February 2007 for Windows, Mac OS and Android.

They have to react and make social, political, and military decisions that their position entails within a gameplay system similar to turn-based strategy.

The player choose to be either the Prime Minister of Israel or the President of the Palestinian National Authority, and must resolve the conflict peacefully.

The game interface includes a map, like Civilization, showing the Gaza Strip, the Galilee, the West Bank and the north of the Negev.

By clicking on it, the player views a news report, with real-world pictures and footage, of a demonstration or a bomb attack.

The Israeli Prime Minister has the views of a hawk, advocating repressive measures, and a dove, willing to help the Palestinians.

[5] The player has access to panel of decision, such as making a speech, negotiating with other leaders or staging military operations.

The Israeli Prime Minister has major financial and military power, and can for example order missile strikes or a curfew.

For example, an Israeli proposal for medical aid shortly after an air strike will be turned down, and will deteriorate even further the relation with the Palestinians.

On the Palestinian side, the polls cover the authority of the President, the opinion of the man of the street towards Israel, economic health and national independence.

It was carried out by a small team of master's students at Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center in Pittsburgh, a department shared between the College of Fine Arts and the School of Computer Science.

Tim Sweeney was the lead game designer, working with Olive Lin, writer Victoria Webb and composer Ross Popoff.

Given the excellent reception, Brown and Burak decide to complete the project, in order to distribute it to the general public and educators.

Game designer Tim Sweeney, although he admitted they are debatable, claimed his right to define the scope of the work.

[21][22] On 4 November 2013, Brown updated the ImpactGames blog to announce that PeaceMaker was now free to download and play, hoping this would "allow the game to find an even larger audience in schools, community centers, and the general public.".

In an article published in Gamasutra, Ernest W. Adams stated that the game is "fun and challenging", and holds a deep level of subtlety.

Adams claimed that while Balance of Power can be summarised as a zero-sum game, PeaceMaker is "a richer and more difficult challenge".

[4] Judy Siegel-Itzkovich from The Jerusalem Post had a similar opinion, stating that the game is "immersive" and that "learning the background of this endless dispute could be very educational".

[28] In a column published in July 2009, Steven Poole claimed that the game "provides a roughly accurate model of the political and security options on both sides of an actual conflict", and that it was rightly praised.

[6] The Globe and Mail's Marc MacKinnon agreed, stating that "it gives players a feel for the impossibility of Mahmoud Abbas and Ehud Olmert's jobs".

The website mentioned a "suddenly high level of demand", that Asi Burak attributed to an interview at the National Public Radio the same month.

[32] The rise of Internet allows alternative distribution channels, such as downloading freeware or through platforms such as Steam, and later Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network or WiiWare.

In 2006, it took the award in a competition organized by the University of Southern California, entitled "Reinventing public diplomacy through games".

This prize rewards "the best game which engages players on a deep and meaningful level around an important social issue, whose aims and outcomes are no less than to foster a powerful intellectual or behavioural transformation in it users".

Suzanne Seggerman, co-founder of the association, stated in 2009 that just like Darfur is Dying, Food Force and Ayiti: The Cost of Life, PeaceMaker was just such a game, "having had an impact".

[36][37][38] PeaceMaker is described by its creators as "a video game to teach peace", and is primarily intended for Israeli and Palestinian students.

That depends on the hearts and minds of the people who live in the Middle East – both in the affected areas and the neighboring countries too.

[45] Shortly after the launch, Ian Bogost described Play the News as "very casual", and feared that it could be summarised as a simple quiz.

He claimed that the game had some potential to engage people with the news, "by making them think about what will happen next and by creating a natural reason to read stories one otherwise might not".