Gaming in the Face of Fear
2020, Salam Al Hassan and Isaak Kraft van Ermel
Digital game prototypes
A set of 5 video game prototypes developed from concepts co-created at a participatory, international, and intercultural game jam. The prototypes are fully playable, and you can learn more about them at Gaming on the Face of Fear:
- Diaspora: a single-player, narrative-driven game that reverses the migration route and makes you a European refugee fleeing to the Middle East, and deconstructs migration stereotypes along the way.
- Super Refugee: a multiplayer social game, in which players log in via mobile phone and interact with each other as randomly assigned characters and must make life or death choices. The live interaction can be followed from a large screen.
- A Thousand Miles in their Shoes: a strategy visual novel, in which players must get from their home country to a safe haven, through a randomly generated map. Through 3 storylines, face the harsh reality of life on the run.
- Yara's Journey: a role-playing game, in which the story and dialogue of an unaccompanied minor and a smuggler develop through the luck in cards you are dealt.
- The Koalas' Refugee Project: a narrative experience that fosters empathy for the plight of refugees by fictionalizing real-life events and transferring the burden of choices to the player.
Game jams and smaller workshops can also be produced to replicate the Gaming in the Face of Fear. Learn while you play, have fun while you get sad, game about life not being just a game!
A set of 5 video game prototypes developed from concepts co-created at a participatory, international, and intercultural game jam. The prototypes are fully playable, and you can learn more about them at Gaming on the Face of Fear:
- Diaspora: a single-player, narrative-driven game that reverses the migration route and makes you a European refugee fleeing to the Middle East, and deconstructs migration stereotypes along the way.
- Super Refugee: a multiplayer social game, in which players log in via mobile phone and interact with each other as randomly assigned characters and must make life or death choices. The live interaction can be followed from a large screen.
- A Thousand Miles in their Shoes: a strategy visual novel, in which players must get from their home country to a safe haven, through a randomly generated map. Through 3 storylines, face the harsh reality of life on the run.
- Yara's Journey: a role-playing game, in which the story and dialogue of an unaccompanied minor and a smuggler develop through the luck in cards you are dealt.
- The Koalas' Refugee Project: a narrative experience that fosters empathy for the plight of refugees by fictionalizing real-life events and transferring the burden of choices to the player.
Game jams and smaller workshops can also be produced to replicate the Gaming in the Face of Fear. Learn while you play, have fun while you get sad, game about life not being just a game!
Salam Al Hassan. Syrian-born illustrator, comic artist, animator, director and musician currently residing in Berlin. His animated work has been screened at festivals all over the world and aims to shed light on the struggles people face in his home country.
Salam Al Hassan is a co-creator and illustrator of the Gaming in the Face of Fear prototypes.
“Gaming in the Face of Fear" was incubated at the Borderline Offensive artistic residency in Leeuwarden, NL in 2018, produced by Keunstwurk, CAL-XL, and part of the programme of Leeuwarden-Fryslân 2018 European Capital of Culture.
Salam Al Hassan is a co-creator and illustrator of the Gaming in the Face of Fear prototypes.
“Gaming in the Face of Fear" was incubated at the Borderline Offensive artistic residency in Leeuwarden, NL in 2018, produced by Keunstwurk, CAL-XL, and part of the programme of Leeuwarden-Fryslân 2018 European Capital of Culture.
Isaak Kraft van Ermel is a Dutch designer, videographer and photographer.
He's always been involved in both games and film one way or the other and as such his work includes digital games, Alternate Reality Games, boardgames, documentaries about games and several short films.
Isaak Kraft van Ermel is a co-creator and designer of the Gaming in the Face of Fear prototypes.
"Gaming in the Face of Fear" was incubated at the Borderline Offensive artistic residency in Leeuwarden, NL in 2018, produced by Keunstwurk, CAL-XL, and part of the programme of Leeuwarden-Fryslân 2018 European Capital of Culture.
He's always been involved in both games and film one way or the other and as such his work includes digital games, Alternate Reality Games, boardgames, documentaries about games and several short films.
Isaak Kraft van Ermel is a co-creator and designer of the Gaming in the Face of Fear prototypes.
"Gaming in the Face of Fear" was incubated at the Borderline Offensive artistic residency in Leeuwarden, NL in 2018, produced by Keunstwurk, CAL-XL, and part of the programme of Leeuwarden-Fryslân 2018 European Capital of Culture.
Targeted audience(s)
13+, appropriate to players in secondary school or older;
Can be presented at game festivals, within the regular programme of cultural institutions, or in social settings such as school, social, community and youth centres. Some games are feasible for groups, others are single player and can be played alone from a computer.
The prototypes are playable by diaspora/migrant or minority communities (but directed towards general audiences).
Can be presented at game festivals, within the regular programme of cultural institutions, or in social settings such as school, social, community and youth centres. Some games are feasible for groups, others are single player and can be played alone from a computer.
The prototypes are playable by diaspora/migrant or minority communities (but directed towards general audiences).
Set-up
Any computer set-up is feasible for the prototypes, without extraordinary tech requirements. As prototypes, the games are not fully developed and players may experience bugs and glitches. The issue is solved by re-starting the game.
Scenography
Game jams and workshops can be produced locally to replicate the experience. Depending on scope and audience, different technical requirements will be needed. At the most basic level, a room with internet connection and connected computers will be needed, as well as some materials for sketching and collaborative work.
Budget
You:
That’s expensive!
Borderline OffenSive:
Costs like accomodation, catering, materials, even travel are variable and depend on what local deals you can make. So in the end your local budget can be higher or lower – the values suggested are indicators, as long as all items are provided. Except for artist remuneration – you can offer more, but never less than the artist's themselves have defined as fair.
You:
What do you greedy warmongers gain from all of this?
Borderline OffenSive:
The budget is calculated for #borderlineoffensive licensed, independent productions – in which you work directly with the artists without our mediation. It is only if you need help with production or project management that we talk about money for ourselves.
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Co-financed by:
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Borderline Offensive 2017-2020 is led by TILLT (SE), together with CZKD (RS), Keunstwurk (NL), House of Humour and Satire (BG), Creative Industry Kosice (SK), Center for Peace Studies (HR), Symbiosis (GR), and in cooperation with MitOst eV (DE), Anadolu Kültür (TK), Zoukak Theatre Association (LB), Ettijahat - Independent Culture (SY) and Ramallah Municipality (PS).
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Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
You can share content from this site for non-commercial purposes by referring to the source.