Serious Games– Darfur is Dying: Compelling or Ineffective?
- Olivia Cinta Higgins
- May 3, 2018
- 4 min read
Run, Elham, Run!
Using serious games to tackle desensitisation through news gaming.
A screenshot from Darfur is Dying gameplay. (Take Action Games 2006)
Everyday, we open the papers, go online and read about the dying, the 'forgotten' and the unending suffering of groups globally. A typical morning comes with orange juice, cereals and bloodshed. Whether we like it or not, we cannot avoid being flooded with headlines like, 'Government Ordered Darfur Attack' or 'UN Urges Sudan Rethink on Aid.' From the pits of Uganda to the slums of Mumbai, some of us are empowered with a newfound hope to help others while others plunge deeper into their cynicism of the world.
The repetitive, depressing nature of news may turn some people completely off. Amy, a lady who walks her dog every evening by my estate, admits she has stopped reading or watching news altogether. It's out of her life. She claims it breeds only negativity and used to ruin her day. She is only one of many.
The susceptibility of news being desensitised is a problem faced by many. Only 22 percent of 189 people were deeply affected by replayed images or videos shown of violent attacks like school shootings of 9/11, revealed a 2015 study by Bradford researchers.
One way to tackle this issue is to fuse the element of entertainment and serious news. When fun is being introduced through gaming, audience engagement might allow one to be more receptive to the serious message that was originally intended through the news medium.
Darfur is Dying is not only informative in nature, it is interactive yet thought-provoking. The game combines elements of hard-facts and realistic characterisation of the characters. Small-sized Elham, one of the chosen protagonist, is constantly hiding by big trucks of Janjaweed militia on what is seemingly a never-ending path towards drinkable water. The paradise is promised but never seen no matter how hard you try.
A screenshot of Elham from Darfur is Dying gameplay. (Take Action Games 2006)
Awareness is arguably the first step to great change. Regardless of the reaction, what remains consistent in terms of effect is that when people read, they are at the very least– aware. So when games like this come along, both adults and the young are able to be aware, internalise and engage in the medium– a more resound and effective way to be impacted emotionally, intellectually through a video game.
Just try it– you play, you get engaged, then it gets hard to quit so the message must be heard.
Critics do argue, as Mr. Vargas from The Washington Post states, that the game, "seems to objectify and trivialise" what some consider, "something that has to be as serious as possible for all of us."
The viewpoint is highly-valid as the game consists of what seems like 'simple goals' coupled with the basic gameplay that may be regarded at oversimplifying a highly-complex crisis. The crisis is bogged down, fixated to only one or two key issues on a few keyboard letters.
However, the effective of the game should all go back to purpose. According to Mr. Ruiz from Take Action games, the primary objective of the game was to advocate awareness of the dire situation of Darfur refugees. So the game is not meant to complicate but to be easy accessible to just about anybody to understand. When you make it too complicated, it makes it harder to process.
Another issue debated is whether or not a serious video game should meet the goal of good or realistic gameplay in order to impact a large audience. If so, how much of its impact on different demographics is dependent on how 'real' it looks and feels during gameplay?
Other critics argue that the game does not present elements that are 'realistic' enough to evoke a 'serious enough' mode or reaction for some players. Ruiz states that the game was not intended to focus on game design or portrayal of realism. Rather, it is simply to inform and hopefully, empower people with the want to help and find out more about the dire situation.
According to an article by BBC News, Darfur is Dying had been played over 2.4 million times by approximately 1.2 people worldwide by 2007. Regardless of its 'unrealistic' or 'laggy' gameplay, these statistics are a clear indicator of the people it hit in impact– and the numbers continue to go up.
It is not a matter of how realistic a gameplay is, it is really more about the purpose and aim of the game in achieving a desired outcome or reaction.
Overall, the game is highly-effective on focussing on basic issues that most clearly communicate the common sufferings. The entire game is short, fast and easy for the majority who play to internalise and understand. In fact, the short gameplay makes certain phrases like Run, Darfur, Run ring a more urgent bell in my head.
Certainly, there are improvements that can be made to Darfur is Dying yet it is still a spark that lights up the candle. It is up to the player to keep it burning and pass on the light.
I am looking forward to more serious games– a great complement to hard issues. It changes the way we receive, interact and engage ourselves... with news gaming, who knows, it will even revolutionise our news world.
Amy might start even start reading again.
Play the game here with Adobe Flash Player: https://www.to14.com/game.php?id=4d486a521b01e
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