Can video games generate #empathy?

Planted in the developed world, it can be difficult to understand the tangled web of actors and issues that comprise the world's most pressing conflicts. Even more difficult than mere understanding, is relating to the plight of individuals and communities a world away. Project Syria aims to counteract this dissonance by granting users an opportunity to understand daily life amid the Syrian Civil War through interactive video play. Developed by students at the University of Southern California, the game utilizes first-person interviews, documentary footage, and audio samplings to give users an opportunity to immerse themselves, albeit virtually, in a high-conflict environment. 

Nonny de la Peña, head of Project Syria, describes virtual reality as an "empathy generator," and seeks with the project to inspire connections and motivate further learning on the Syrian conflict.  

What do you think of Project Syria? Can a video game connect users with the plights of communities around the world? Does it exploit the suffering some communities experience? 

Harriet Beecher Stowe's loss of her son Samuel Charles allowed her to begin to empathize with the heartbreak women who were enslaved endured when they were taken or separated from their families. She then infused this empathy into Uncle Tom's Cabin. Can we generate empathy without experiencing tragedy ourselves? Have you ever felt empathy from a movie, book, song, or game?