Darfur is Dying
Darfur is Dying is a flash-based
Development and release
The game's design was led by Susana Ruiz as a part of TAKE ACTION games. Then a graduate student at the Interactive Media Program at the School of Cinematic Arts at the
Ruiz formed a design team and spent two months creating a game design document and prototype. The team spent much of the design phase talking to humanitarian aid workers with experience in Darfur and brainstorming how to make a game that was both interesting to play and was an advocacy tool. Ruiz has stated that the game design was influenced by that of Food Force, a 2005 game published by the United Nations World Food Programme. The Ruiz team's beta version was put up for review by the public, along with the other finalists, and was chosen as the winner. The team then received funding to complete the game. The web and application development firm interFUEL was brought in to complete the game design and programming. The game was officially released at a Save Darfur Coalition rally on 30 March 2006 and the first official player was American speed skater Joey Cheek.
Gameplay
The game begins with the player choosing a member of a Darfuri family that has been
While most media coverage of the game has concentrated on its advocacy aspect rather than its gameplay, one review has commented that it is initially unclear in the management mode how to go about growing food and other tasks.[1]
Reception
The game has been reported by mainstream media sources such as
The game has been the focus of debate on its nature and impact. Assessments by academics interviewed by the BBC varied between those stating that anything that may spark debate on Darfur and issues surrounding it is a clear gain for the advocates to those, who thought that the game oversimplified a complex situation and thus failed to address the actual issues of the conflict. The game was also criticized for the sponsorship of mtvU, raising the possibility that the game might seem like a marketing tool for the corporation.[3]
Notes and references
- ^ Zach Whalen, "mtvU launches Darfur is Dying" Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine, gameology.org, 30 April 2006
- ^ Simon Parkin, "Darfur is Dying" Archived 2008-11-27 at the Wayback Machine, interview of Susana Ruiz, eurogamer.net, 4 September 2006
- ^ a b Clark Boyd, "Darfur activism meets video gaming", BBC News, 6 July 2006
External links
- Official website Archived 3 August 2006.
- Jose Antonio Vargas, "In 'Darfur Is Dying,' The Game That's Anything But", The Washington Post, 1 May 2006
- Michele Norris, "Online Game Peers into Life in Darfur Refugee Camp" (contains link to audio), National Public Radio, 5 May 2006
- Speech by Susana Ruiz in Washington DC Archived 2006-09-06 at the Wayback Machine (streaming video), 3 min streaming video hosted by Google Video, 24 May 2006
- Speech by Susana Ruiz in Washington DC.
- Jack Fairweather, "'Ethical' computer games take on shoot-'em-up classics", The Daily Telegraph, 29 June 2006