GAME FOR CHANGE
A few of my research sources:
Artist's Statement:
Ever since I learned about how rampant sex slavery is in the world (and particularly the U.S.), I’ve been adamant about raising awareness. It’s not exactly the type of issue that can be solved in a day or perhaps even a century, but I strongly believe that the more people are aware of it, the more opportunities there will be to make efforts—big and small—to preventing it.
I’ve researched the topic before, but because this project was about a video game, I decided to read through stories of victims’ perspectives. I will freely admit that it wasn’t a pleasant experience. The things people have done to take advantage of people, and particularly small children, is haunting. I knew it wouldn’t be hard conveying the disgust I felt if I were to create a game from a victim’s perspective (a la Depression Quest). However, despite knowing that the project would work well enough this way, I wanted to try something different. I decided to look and see if I could find positive stories—that is to say, not positive stories of human trafficking, but of people being rescued or delivered from it. One in particular stood out to me: A story of an undercover agent posing as a pedophile to infiltrate a children sex-slave group (please see top source above). The account was still shocking in some aspects, but had a happier ending than most. I decided to base my Twine game on this account.
There’s real value to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s adage of how there’s “danger in a single story.” Our views on things are skewed so much based on how we become acquainted with such stories. In order to become less biased, we need to see every side of an issue. I personally feel that video games are a great means of doing this. One such that does this is called “A Dark Room,” an online text-based game where all you do (at first) is continually stoke a fire to keep warm. Eventually this game gives the player more and more choices until the player either becomes an explorer or a dictator or both, as they are continually met with moral dilemmas, all the while trying to keep track of precious resources. The story is minimal, sure, but because the player assumes the role and determines the ending, it becomes all the more meaningful.
And that’s what I feel the strength of my game is—the decisions you make. While I regret that their aren’t more choices than what’s available, and that the endings aren’t too varied, I’m glad that I can give players a chance to live through a true-life story and feel as though they themselves were the ones taking physical efforts to stop one of the cruelest things that currently exists. In this way, I have accomplished my goal of making players more aware of the issue, and perhaps develop a desire to contribute to the cause. Now I just need to find a way to make more people try out the game!
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