Genre: Web-based game
Role: Concept Designer
Engine: Flash
Development Time: Summer 2008 – Summer 2010
Premise
Breakaway is a game that was designed with the express intent helping aid the struggle to end violence against women. I was one of the concept designers that came up with the idea of making the game revolve around a young soccer team where the player is confronted with female characters and whether or not to continue the cycle of violence against them or to stand up for their rights.
This game was made by the collaborative effort of the Emergent Media Center, the Population Media Center, and the United Nations. At the EMC, we worked closely with the PMC to develop a story using the Sabido Methodology which has worked for them many times in the past with award winning Radio and Television programs to help educate their audiences. The UN, as producers of the game, were also kept appraised of our efforts throughout the process.
It was a very enlightening process to be the concept designer of a game that went public. Once my co-concept designer and I found an idea that we felt worked and ran with it the rest of the team seemed only to get more and more excited about what we had to say. It was very exhilarating to craft the game from scratch and then take a scalpel to the design to make sure we only had what we needed.
While I unfortunately did not see the game through to completion I am happy with the final product. It may have been slightly different if I had remained on board but in the end it is what we intended it to be. It is a fun game that children from all over the world, players from over 147 countries last I heard, can play and hopefully learn something from. Of course in my opinion if we help even one adolescent boy learn that women should be treated with respect than it was a mission we accomplished.
More than 65 design and programming students at Champlain College’s Emergent Media Center are applying their creativity and production skills to end violence against women. Under the support of the United Nations and behavior change expertise of Population Media Center, the EMC students are creating 14 episodes of an interactive game and social networking application to be delivered globally via the web and mobile phones to engage, educate, and change attitudes of boys between the ages of 8 and 15. Employing the world’s most popular sport, football (US soccer), their game,Breakaway, links the winning benefits of respect on the field to respectful behavior towards girls. As observed in early testing in South Africa, St. Lucia, and Vermont, boys want to play this series because they want to become football champions. In the game, they become a teen wanting to join a winning football team. Over the course of the game play and narrative, they come to realize and practice the skills of a true champion. Electronic sports games are unique for reaching boys. Capturing their hearts and minds is an important step in preventing future violence. This game has received designation under United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon’s, UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign, which aims to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls around the world. The game project is to be released online for early-testing and marketing this April and poised for launch of the first three episodes during the FIFA World Cup in June 2010. The World Cup is viewed by 1 billion people around the globe and therefore is an important part of the strategy of causing awareness about a global issue; one that results in 1 of every 3 women worldwide to be abused. The project is offering limited opportunities for customized corporate sponsorships and seeks individual and foundation support. For further information contact Ann DeMarle demarle@champlain.edu and check out the following links:
Game site: http://www.breakawaygame.com/
Project blog: http://emc-gamestakeonvaw.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=108661302908